Kuwait arrests
Iraqi fishermen
KUWAIT: Kuwaiti coastguards have arrested eight
Iraqi fishermen for violating
the state’s territorial waters
in the second such incident
in a week, the interior ministry said yesterday. The
Kuwaitis intercepted an
Iraqi vessel off Bubyan
Island, north of Kuwait City,
and arrested all eight men
onboard, said a statement,
cited by the official KUNA

news agency. The ministry
said the boat and men were
taken to Sabah Al-Ahmad
Coastguards base, south of
the capital ahead of unspecified legal measures. It did
not say when the incident
took place. Last Sunday, the
interior ministry said coastguards intercepted two Iraqi
fishing boats in its territorial
waters and arrested five
fishermen on board. — AFP

16 miners missing • Media mostly quiet

US women soldiers
to get new uniforms
FORT BELVOIR, Virginia:
The US Army is testing its
first-ever combat uniform
expressly designed to fit the
female figure, a move seen as
an overdue effort to make
160,000 US women soldiers
more comfortable. Don’t
expect a camouflage haute
couture revolution for
America’s military women;
the changes will be visibly
slight, although they are
important, said the first person to try on the women’s
army combat uniform, or

FORT
BELVOIR,
Virginia: The prototype
of the new female specific uniform is modeled
on Oct 12, 2010. — AFP
ACU. “The unisex uniform
was a little bit baggy,” Major
Sequana Robinson told AFP,
undoubtedly summing up the
attitudes of thousands of
female soldiers who for
decades have had to make do
with ill-fitting fatigues. “The
goal is not to have female soldiers accentuate their curves,
but... it alleviates some of the
excess material” that had

come to typify the unisex uniform worn by far more men
than women.
For years the US Army
offered standard-issue unisex
ACUs, which sought to neutralize gender differences but
were of ten considered
uncomfortable and unwieldy
by female troops. Robinson,
assistant product manager for
soldier clothing at the
Program Executive Office,
which is responsible for what
US soldiers wear or carry and
is preparing the uniform, was
modeling the ACU prototype
at this military base south of
the capital Washington. Some
600 women soldiers will comprehensively test the garments beginning next
January. If approved by the
Army Uniform Board, the
female battle garments,
which have undergone five
years of study and design
tweaking, could be rolled out
as early as 2012.
Design of the new fatigues
is the latest step toward gender parity in the US military,
where women have broken
into most areas of service and
command. Women have
served in some way in the US
Army since 1775. And the
Pentagon has issued female
uniform ensembles for
decades, albeit for ceremonial
events or non-combat positions. But it does not allow
women, who now make up 14
percent of the army, to be
assigned to ground combat
units, although they are in
support units and serve as
gunners, truck drivers, military police, and helicopter
pilots.
In the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, where US troops
have been fighting insurgencies that use unconventional
forces and tactics, US women
have increasingly found
themselves in the thick of
battle,
Continued on Page 14

MARSEILLE, France: Steel workers from the nearby Fos-sur-Mer
ArcelorMittal plant join a protest in Marseille yesterday. Diesel and jet
fuel supplies are running low in parts of France as workers took to the
streets for another nationwide protest against President Nicolas
Sarkozy’s plan to raise the retirement age to 62. — AP (See Page 21)

Iraqi firms now making
music instead of bombs
BAGHDAD: Before the 2003 US-led invasion,
Iraq’s Al-Shaheed State Company used to
make a blast, literally. Now it helps to produce
music. “We used to make mortar shell casings,
but our engineers changed the production line,
so we now make brass for trumpets and vases,
and copper cables,” said Amine Hawas, a company technician. Al-Shaheed’s fate has been
mirrored by a string of other companies created during the regime of deposed dictator
Saddam Hussein and since transformed under
an order of the post-invasion government of
US diplomat Paul Bremer to turn military
industries into civilian ones.
Created in 1982, the reformed company displayed its wares at a four-day fair of stateowned industries in Baghdad this week. Other

companies at the exhibition have gone from
making guns, bombs and military binoculars to
water sprinklers, microscopes and bomb-disposal robots. “After the American invasion, our
factory was plundered and the ministry that
supervised us dissolved. Our personnel were
completely disoriented,” said Haidar Hussein,
a 34-year-old engineer at the Al-Karama company stand.
Pre-war, the company in the northern
Waziriyah district of the capital produced guidance systems for long-range missiles, and was
visited by UN disarmament inspectors in 1998,
when Iraq suffered under sanctions following
its 1990 invasion of neighbouring Kuwait. “A
team of 10 engineers then started to become
Continued on Page 14

Somalia surprise: Working govt, no gunfire
HARGEISA, Somalia: A new
six-storey office building will
soon house a $1 billion-a-year
business. The recently elected president has appointed
smart people and won the
admiration of the international community. Gunfire is
nowhere to be heard. All this
seems too good to be true for
the war-ravaged nation of
Somalia. Yet Somalia this is,
or more precisely Somaliland,
a slice of the northern part of
the country. This former
British colony joined Somalia
a half-century ago but
changed its mind in 1991
when the central government
in Mogadishu collapsed and
most of the rest of the country became mired in war.
The United States, the
United Nations and other
international players don’t
recognize Somaliland as a
separate country, but they are
now lavishing new money and
attention on the region.
Somaliland officials say the

HARGEISA: In this photo taken on Oct 13, 2010, a worker at Somaliland’s
water and power ministry takes money from a customer paying his bill. — AP

international community has
wasted too much time and
money on Mogadishu and its
string of failed governments.
They say the struggling but
democratically elected government in the north
deserves support and can
serve as a bulwark against
spreading terrorism.
In
bullet-riddled
Mogadishu and in much of the
rest of Somalia to the south, a
hardline Islamist insurgency
is in control and is threatening the central government’s
tiny hold on the country. To
the north, across the narrow
Gulf of Aden, lies Yemen, a
hotspot for Islamist militancy.
“This is a country called
Somaliland that is peaceful
and democratic ... where the
streets are full of uniformed
children with book in hand
going to school, not hooded,
with guns, going to war,”
President Ahmed Mohamud
Silanyo told a visiting
Continued on Page 14

BEIJING: Rescuers battled
dangerous levels of gas, tons
of coal dust and the risk of
falling rocks as they worked
to free 16 miners trapped by
an explosion at a mine in central China early yesterday.
Twenty-one miners were confirmed killed. Rescuers have
located the 16 Chinese miners but must clear tons of coal
dust from the mine shaft to
reach them, the state-run
Xinhua News Agency cited a
rescue spokesman as saying.
It wasn’t clear if the miners
were alive or how far underground they were trapped.
The blast unleashed more
than 2,500 tons of coal dust,
an engineer for one of the
mine’s parent companies, Du
Bo, told Xinhua. The report
said ventilation has resumed
in the mining pit but gas levels remain high. The gas level inside the mine was 40 percent, far higher than the normal level of near 1 percent,
China Central Television
reported. The gas wasn’t
specified, but methane is a
common cause of mine blasts,
and coal dust is explosive.
The more than 70 rescuers on
the scene also must clear
chunks of coal loosened by
the blast that fell into the
shaft, the state-run broadcaster said. Twenty bodies had
been retrieved by the afternoon, Xinhua said.
The blast happened as the
world still was celebrating
Chile’s dramatically successful rescue of 33 miners
trapped more than two
months. China’s state-run
Continued on Page 14

Work on to reach
4 Ecuador miners
PORTOVELO,
Ecuador:
Ecuadoran rescuers yesterday
succeeded in creating openings large enough to pump
fresh air to four men trapped
in a caved-in gold mine, the
government said. But despite
the progress, emergency
workers had not yet made

contact with the men and relatives faced continued uncertainty about whether their
loved ones were still alive.
The Ecuadoran miners
became trapped in the early
hours of Friday morning, after
the collapse blocked their exit
Continued on Page 14

NATIONAL

2

Syria and Kuwait seek
economic partnership

local spotlight

Wrong traffic penalty!!!
By Muna Al-Fuzai

Damascus extols Kuwait ties
DAMASCUS: Syria and Kuwait are
seeking to elevate the level of their
relationship from that of trade
exchanges to full economic partnership, said a ranking Syrian investment figure yesterday. This
approach has been translated on the
ground into establishment of many
joint companies, namely the SyrianKuwaiti Holding, at a capital of $100
million, the United Kuwaiti
Investment Company in Syria, $20
million, the
Kuwaiti-Syrian Al-Jaz Group and
the Kuwaiti Investment Co in addition to several common investment
ventures, said Ahmad Abdul Aziz,
the Director-General of the Syrian
Public Investment Authority. Abdul
Aziz was speaking at a news conference for promotion of an investment
convention, to be organized by Syria
in Kuwait for promoting 200 investment ventures, due to be sponsored
by HH the Prime Minister of Kuwait
Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Sabah and his Syrian
counterpart, Mohammad Naji AlOtri, on October 20.
Elaborating, he said the investment opportunities to be promoted
at the Kuwait workshop include
ventures in Syria’s infrastructure,
oil, tourism, transports, housing and
industrial zones. Kuwaiti investment projects in Syria amount to 36,
including 19 executed or under-execution ventures, at an overall value
of 22 billion Syrian pounds (approximately $450 million).
Depicting the deep-rooted ties,
HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had signed
a memorandum of understanding to
establish statutes of the late Amir,
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, and the late Syrian president,

Hafez Al-Assad. The accord for
launching this project, estimated at
$300 million, is expected to be
signed in the future. In a related
event, the Syrian prime minister is
scheduled to start a two-day official
visit to Kuwait on October 20, in
response to an official invitation by
HH the Prime Minister. On sidelines of the visit, the joint supreme
commission would hold meetings.
Meanwhile, Syrian Minister of
Economy and Trade Lamia Assi has
lauded Syrian-Kuwaiti cooperative
relations as “being tangibly developed”. Speaking at a meeting with
Kuwaiti Ambassador in Damascus
Aziz Al-Daihani earlier on Friday,
the Syrian minister said bilateral
relations are being further promoted
and reinforced in various fields,
including mutual investment protection and double taxation avoidance,
Syria’s Tishreen reported yesterday. Assi added that she had discussed with the Kuwaiti ambassador
ways and means of further consolidating economic and trade cooperation between both brotherly countries.
He greatly appreciated Kuwaiti
investments in Syria and the role of
the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic
Development (KFAED) in the
bankrolling of strategic development
projects in Syria. For his part, the
Kuwaiti ambassador in Damascus
said Kuwait was in the forefront of
those countries which launched
investments in Syria, praising Syria
as a promising country in terms of
economic and investment aspects.
During the meeting, they also considered final preparations and
arrangements for a meeting of the
Syrian-Kuwaiti joint committee due
in Kuwait this week. — Agencies

‘Avoid pessimism on development’
KUWAIT: A top official at the country’s Supreme Council of Planning and
Development (SCPD) recently asserted on the importance of avoiding a negative outlook about the country’s current development process. This is
essential during the transition period
between lack of development and project achievement. “Several public bodies have begun planning in an unprecedented manner,” The Council’s
Secretary General Dr Adel Al-

Wuqaiyan said during a televised interview from New York. He is currently
part of a Kuwaiti delegation participating in the United Nations meetings,
reported Al-Rai. Furthermore, AlWuqaiyan asserted that ministries
must proceed with projects that are
supportive and in parallel with the
country’s development plan, adding
that spending on developmental projects should also be in parallel with
guided governmental spending.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

L

KUWAIT: The ambassador of South Korea to Kuwait Moon Young Han, celebrated the
Republic of Korea’s National Day at an event that took place in the Crowne Plaza hotel on
Wednesday (October 13, 2010). The ceremony was attended by several ambassadors and
diplomats in Kuwait, as well as members of the Korean community in Kuwait. — Photos by
Yasser Al-Zayyat

et’s suppose you were out of town
and that when you came back you
found a surprise waiting for you; a
traffic ticket waiting to be paid. It could be
anywhere from 5 - 10 KD, or even more.
What would you do if you wanted to argue
against having to pay the fine? You would be
forced to either pay the fine or be dragged
to court.
One of my readers informed me that
after he returned home from traveling abroad he was surprised to discover that he was being charged a traffic fine of
KD 15 for an offence he did not commit. The traffic department informed him that he was ticketed for parking on the
sidewalk:
The truth of the matter is that he was traveling abroad for
the whole month of August, as his passport would testify.
According to him, his car was parked at his residential building in Salmiya and that he had not given his keys to anyone.
He added that he never even received a hardcopy of the ticket. The traffic department clearly made a mistake when noting the vehicle’s license plate number. He believes that they
meant to charge some other vehicle but entered his car’s
license plate number by mistake.
The answer to this problem is simple. The same thing
happened to me a few years ago when I was working for the
UN. I received a ticket for parking in the wrong area and
charged 5 KD. Not only was I innocent but I was out of town
when the ticket was issued.
You have to decide if you are going to pay the fine or not.
If you decided to pay you will feel terrible for paying the
penalty of a crime you did not commit. If you decide not to pay
your car will not be allowed to be registered and you could be
cited even more tickets for driving an unregistered vehicle.
Technically, the policy is to pay first and then complain.
While it may seem easy at first, with all our computers and
technology, the fact of the matter is that it is a very slow
process.
Police are only human and if your penalty was not recorded by a camera then why not complain. You need to go down
to the traffic department with your Kuwaiti friend, or someone who speaks very good Arabic, pay the fine and then make
the complaint. You never know, you might get lucky and get
both your comfort and your 15 KD back.
muna@kuwaittimes.net

US’ NUKS is largest
students assembly
KUWAIT: The National
Union for Kuwaiti Students
(NUKS) in the United States
of America (USA) is the
largest
association
of
Kuwaiti students abroad. It
has a membership of 1,300,
followed by the Jeddah’s
association which is 1000member strong. This was
announced by members of
the association’s administrative department in a televised interview. They urged
the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Labor to popularize the
association in Kuwait after a
similar campaign was held in
America six years ago,
reported Al-Rai.
Furthermore, members
spoke about the organization’s achievements by getting
connected
with
Kuwaitis studying across the
United States. This is to

ensure that they stay connected with developments
that take place in their
native countries. They
asserted that the association
has a network which has 70
representatives. This is so
that to communication is
possible with Kuwaiti students in 42 American states,
and address the problems
that they encounter. The
interview team consisted of
Ahmad Al-Jou’an, Head of
the
Administrative
Department, Abdurrahman
Al-Bahar, Deputy Head for
Students Affairs, Fahad AlSubai’ei,
Head of the
Cultural Committee, Ahmad
Maa’rafi, Head of the Media
Committee,
Abdullah
Bushehri,
Association’s
Secretary, and Mohammad
Al-Kazmi, the association’s
treasurer.

Kuwait promotes culture
of moderation of Islam
MADRID: Kuwait has organized conferences for promoting moderation of Islam at influential capitals of the globe with
the aim of portraying the true
image of the Kuwaitis as peaceloving people, a Kuwaiti official
Dr
Adel
Al-Falah,
the
Undersecretary of the Ministry

of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs,
said in an interview with
KUNA, on sidelines an international conference themed “convergence of two worlds - for
Spanish-Arab cultural integration,” that concluded late on
Friday.
Kuwait’s role on the international stage of preaching moderation, peaceful co-existence
and a bright image of Islam is a
picture that reflects the intrinsic traits of the natives of the
Gulf country. Kuwaiti authorities, in line with guidelines of
HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, have
held a series of conventions in
London, Washington and
Moscow for promoting moderation as an approach that versus
terrorism and bickering, said Dr
Al-Falah. Other countries,
namely Qatar and Jordan, have
followed suit, setting up centers
for preaching moderation in
several capitals of the world. At
the philanthropic level, Kuwaiti
authorities and associations
have heavily contributed to
charitable activities in many
Islamic and non-Islamic states.
In this line, the Amir had initiated the launching of a special
fund for supporting small enterprises in Arab countries, he
noted. Dr Al-Falah disclosed
that Kuwait has been particularly interested in promoting the
Islamic culture of moderation in
countries of Latin-speaking
nations for these peoples have
been at distance from fanatic
and extremist ideologies and
thoughts. “The convention laid
the corner stone for the ties of
moderation between Kuwait
and Latin American and
Caribbean countries,” he said,
adding that Kuwait would host
the second conference at this
level next year. — KUNA

NATIONAL

Sunday, October 17, 2010

in the news
KNPC s tops g as leakag e
KUWAIT: Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said
yesterday that it managed to stop a minor gas leakage at AlAhmadi refinery. KNPC Public Relations and Media
Department Direcotr Mohammad Al-Ajmi said in a statement
to KUNA that gas leakage took place at 7 am yesterday, noting
that it was a limited one at a gas pipeline at the seventh area of
Al-Ahmadi refinery that is run by the company. He made clear
that KNPC emergency plans were activated once the leakage
happened in what enabled the operations team from closing the
source of leakage and totally insulating it. The pipeline is being
currently surveyed and investigations are underway for
inspecting the causes of leakage and making necessary repairs.
However, Al-Ajmi asserted there are no casualties or damage,
noting the operational and export processes at the refinery
were not affected by this minor accident.
Kuwait t o part icipat e in
I slamic art s exhibit ion
MILAN: The State of Kuwait
is set to participate in an
Islamic art exhibition due to
be mounted here on October
19. The inaugural ceremony
will be attended by representative of His Highness
the Amir of Kuwait, Minister
of Oil and Information
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Consul
General of Kuwait in Milan
and Northern Italy Sammi
Al-Hamad said that the
Consul General of Kuwaiti minister’s participaKuwait in Milan and tion in the Islamic Arts
Northern Italy Sammi Exhibition would surely bolster relations between
Al-Hamad
Kuwait and Italy in the cultural domain. He added that 2010 has seen several joint events
aimed to promote relations between Kuwait and Italy, including a recent visit to Italy by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which has indeed
led to a tremendous boost in bilateral relations. Milan is the
city of culture, hailed the Kuwaiti diplomat, affirming that the
city hosted several events showcasing Islamic culture. The
upcoming event would be opened in Milan by mayor of the city
Letizia Moratti and Kuwait’s Sheikha Hessa Sabah Al-Salem
Al-Sabah, said Al-Hamad, adding that the exhibition would
show around 350 items showcasing Islamic history and artifacts.

3

Cabinet seeks control over
the ‘Interior’ committees
DRB keen on retaining ‘alien practices’, human rights committees
KUWAIT: With parliamentary
term set to begin, the Cabinet
continues to oppose the formation of temporary parliament committees. At the same
time, they face hostility on
that regard from the Popular
Action, Development and
Reform, as well as the
National Action Blocs. It
appears that all of the aforementioned blocs realize the
importance of agreeing on
rejecting the Cabinet’s bid to
tackle temporary panels. For
example, the PAB is interested in retaining housing, stateless residents, as well as citizens with special needs committees.

The DRB is keen on retaining ‘alien practices’ and human
rights committees. The NAB
will push for the establishment
of a youth and sports as well as
women’s affairs temporary
panels.
Meanwhile,
the
Cabinet’s attention at this
point seems to be more directed towards the parliamentary
permanent committees, as
they sought according to
reports to ‘place their control’
over certain panels such as the
financial, legislative, and interior and defense committees,
by pushing pro-Cabinet MPs
to have majority membership
at these panels, reported AlQabas.

On that regard, another
news report indicates that
some MPs close to the
Cabinet have already begun
working on garnering support
for being elected to the aforementioned panels, mainly the
interior and defense committees.
Officials
from
the
Parliament indicated that the
Cabinet will hold the interior
and
defense
committee
responsible for indicting
Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber
Al-Khalid Al-Sabah in connection with the release of two
Iranian drug dealers.
The Cabinet aims to
receive the approval of a

majority that consisted of proCabinet MPs at the panel, on
overturning the indictment
verdict issued by the existing
panel members.
On a separate note, the
Parliament’s health committee
is said to be preparing to issue
a
decision to assign the
newly-established formation
of the panel, with the responsibility of continuing to hold
investigations with regard to
violations found in the overseas treatment issue, reported
Al-Rai.
This decision was made
after the current panel failed
to issue a final report on investigation procedures.

GCC Da ys in Lo ndon
RIYADH: London will be the venue for the GCC Days festival
tomorrow, an event aimed at promoting the GCC member
states’ ties with Europe, said a statement yesterday. The GCC
Secretariat said that the seventh edition of the event, previously held in other EU capitals, would attract the participation of
GCC and EU officials, namely GCC Secretary General
Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah, in addition to others. The four-day
event is aimed at bolstering dialogue between the GCC and
EU, looking into efforts for better relations between the two
entities. The event would include several activities such as
lectures, cultural performances, and discussions over issues of
mutual interests.
Mo ussa t o v is it Kuwa it
CAIRO: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is set to
fly to Kuwait today, heading a high-level league delegation, to
attend a ceremony for launching a fund for supporting small
and medium-sized enterprises in Arab countries. The $2 billion
fund was suggested by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during an Arab economic and social development summit in Kuwait in January
2009, a league official said yesterday. The fund is chiefly meant
to bankroll small and medium-sized enterprises in the Arab
world with a view to stimulating and spurring up the Arab private sector, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League
for Economic Affairs Mohammed Al-Twegri said in news
remarks. A supervisory council of representatives from Arab
contributors to the fund is to convene its maiden meeting in
Kuwait tomorrow. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Yemen,
Mauritania, Djibouti, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan have already
contributed to the fund.
Kuwait i M Ps in Lis bon
MADRID: A Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation arrived in
Lisbon Friday for talks with Portuguese lawmakers on bilateral
relations and exchange of expertise between houses in both
countries. This is the delegation’s second leg of a European
tour that started in Spain, which aimed at discussing industrial,
commercial and touristic cooperation. During their five-day
visit, the Kuwaiti MPs are to meet with Parliament Speaker
Jaime Gama and leading MPs on the bilateral parliamentary
ties and several issues of common concern. The Kuwaiti delegation is headed by MP Khaled Sultan Bin Essa and including
MPs Dr Dhaifallah Buramia, Saad Al-Azmi and Khaled
Mashaan Al-Tahous.

kuwait digest

Lessons from Chile
By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

M

illions around the world watched the live feed of
the Chilean miners’ rescue this past Wednesday
where thirty-three miners were successfully
rescued from a mine they were trapped in for nearly two
months, more than seven hundred meters underground.
This same length is similar to the distance between the
Jahra Gate and Safat Square.
People who were watching the rescue mission all
shared different emotions during the operation. In a sense,
we can say that this mission united the entire world. Even
more outstanding was the level of transparency by which
the Chilean authorities handled the rescue event. They
allowed the entire rescue operation to be covered by the
media.
They followed the mission step by step until all the
trapped miners were freed. They captured the emotions of
the miners’ families as well as the reactions of the crowd
and the Chilean President who was sure to be present during the rescue mission.
The emotional welcome that the miners received from
their families following their rescue was definitely the
most remarkable moment witnessed by the world during
the entire coverage. It made all the media hype and money
paid worthwhile. However, for those of us in Kuwait it was
a little bit of a different feeling.
It made us remember the restrictions we have on the
media and internet imposed by the government. As
Chileans rejoiced with kisses and hugs while the trapped
miners were being freed, our ‘religious’ communications
minister was searching for more websites to censor.
Meanwhile, we remain, struggling to see what is not
trapped underground.
Moreover, watching the warm welcome that the miners
received made us remember the intentional decision to
not broadcast the return of our countrymen from Saddam’s
prisons. We were deprived of witnessing the warm welcome citizens received from their loved ones as they
returned home, which if broadcast could have brought
more attention to the issue of our prisoners in Iraq.
It might have changed the fates of a lot of Kuwaiti martyrs who died inside Iraqi prisons. I’d like to express my
deepest gratitude to Chilean authorities for allowing us to
share with them their great concern for fellow human
beings. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Sheikha Amthal’s volunteers
By Dr Abdullatif Al-Suraikh

I

KUWAIT: Swaziland King Mswati III left yesterday, along with his accompanying delegation for home
following a visit that lasted for several days. At the forefront of those who saw the King off at Kuwait
International Airport was adviser at the Diwan of HH the Prime Minister and head of the accompanying honor mission Dr Ismail Khedr Al-Shati as well as a number of Sheikhs, governors and advisers at
the Diwan of HH the Prime Minister along with top army, police and National Guard commanders and
top state officials. — KUNA

GCC foreign ministers to meet next month
By A Saleh
KUWAIT: Official informed
sources said that the Gulf
Cooperative Council (GCC)
states’ foreign ministers would
meet next month prior to the
upcoming GCC Summit scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in

December, 2010. They will discuss declaring a refusal to some
of the proposals made by the
Afro-Arab Summit recently
held in Sirte, Libya. They will
specifically discuss their
refusal to establish special
funds and commissioners to
help develop and enhance joint

Arab projects that will be funded by GCC states alone.
The sources pointed out
that the only objection to officially rejecting the proposal
came from Qatar, who refused
to be included in the rejection
and demanded further discussion on the matter. The

sources said that steps were
being taken to ensure the success of the ministerial meeting
so that Qatar’s concerns can be
addressed well before the next
GCC summit. They also noted
that the GCC’s rejection was
supported by Jordan and
Morocco.

MSAL to reduce unqualified expat workers
KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and
Labor (MSAL) has announced that it will
continue with its efforts to reduce the number of unskilled expatriate workers in the
country. At the same time, they will be
replaced by national manpower. The ministry indicated that a decree will soon be

issued so that expatriate laborers undergo
certain tests according to which, their qualification can be assessed. This way, the ministry can recognize the actual contributions
that workers provide to their employers.
This method is aimed to control the process
of recruiting unqualified expatriate workers,

reported Al-Qabas. The ministry’s undersecretary Mohammad Al-Kandari indicated
that the number of expatriate workers in
Kuwait has been reduced to as much as
170,000 in 2007. The number of newlyrecruited workers have been reduced to
60,000 in 2009.

came across a piece of news a while ago. It dealt with
an incident where several workers at a factory located
in a western country wore green armbands in protest
against a decision made by the factory’s administration. In
this manner, workers were able to send messages to
employers without obstructing work.
Meanwhile in Kuwait, a group of teachers recently
staged a strike outside the Education Ministry’s headquarters against the ministry’s decision to add a 25 minute
period to each Tuesday of the school week. With due
respect to teachers and their right to protest - as long as
this protest doesn’t affect the educational mission - I would
like to remind them that an extended school day is not
exactly new to Kuwait. At some point in the history of
Kuwait’s education, the school week lasted for six days,
with a weekly ‘free activity’ additional period.
Moreover, teachers should have protested over more
serious concerns like violations committed by ministry
officials. There are no serious measures in place to curb
the private tuitions issue, favoritism in assigning candidates, and others.
However, what surprised me the most about the whole
issue, is the stance taken by Sheikha Amthal Al-Sabah,
Head of the Voluntary Work Center who announced that
the center is fully prepared to appoint more teaching staff
in case all the teachers join protests. How exactly can a
voluntary center be able to fill the shortage? Does the center have a clear mechanism, or even have enough number
of volunteers? Is the center really capable of providing so
many qualified personnel?
I also have another request to the Interior Ministry’s
Assistant Undersecretary for General Security Affairs:
Maj Gen Khalil Al-Shamali: Please save the residents of
Al-Jahra from the alarming number of unsafe practices.
Such incidents include use of guns fired during weddings
and reckless driving around the area’s streets. The officials that are in charge of tackling such incidents are busy
seeking media attention — Al-Rai

NATIONAL

4

Auto loans ‘available’
despite financial crisis

Good samaritan mugged
KUWAIT: A young man was
mugged by three thugs after
their female accomplice tricked
him into a trap, reported AlWatan. The incident occurred
in Salmiya when the man
agreed to help a woman wearing a niqab with her flat tire. As
soon as he stopped to help, the
man was attacked by three
men who stole his wallet and
cell phone. The victim filed a
case with authorities.

A loan cannot exceed 40% of a person’s income
By Nisreen Zahreddine
KUWAIT: Car dealerships in
Kuwait are not limited by
season or the whims of the
market. A person in Kuwait
needs a car regardless of the
country’s economic situation
or whether it is winter or
summer. The easiest way to
get a car in Kuwait is to take
out a loan. Different factors
come into play when deciding
whether a loan will be
approved and what sort of
interest will be on it.
Alaa Hajjaj, head of retail
at Al-Soor Financing and
Leasing Company, described
the steps that need to be
taken and the facilities
offered at his company to
help stimulate car sales in
Kuwait. “We are among the
leading financing companies
in Kuwait,” he said, adding
that Al-Soor considers itself
more flexible than other
financiers. He pointed out
how quickly the company is
at processing paperwork and
getting approvals. He said
that the company often
accepts loan applications
with minimum down payments depending on the

nature of the case. It makes
no difference if the person
applying for the loan is a citizen or an expatriate, working
in the public or private sectors, he added.
The technical factors that
determine whether a loan
application is accepted or not
is determined by whether it
meets the Central Bank of
Kuwait’s (CBK) several
terms and regulations. A loan
cannot exceed 40 percent of
the sum of a person’s income
and not exceed 15 times the
person’s salary. Also, the
maximum amount allowed
for a consumer loan is 15,000
KD. These conditions apply
to both Kuwaitis and expatriates. When getting a loan
from CBK, Hajjaj continued,
the stability of a person’s
work counts a lot to the company. “We prefer a low salary
consumer with longevity at
work to a high salary consumer who has been working
of a short while,” Hajjaj said.
The strength and market
value of the employer is a
determining factor as well. In
case of low salaries, the collateral value can be enhanced
by taking a down payment

Sunday, October 17, 2010

that ensures a payment of
the loan. Another hedging
measure can be taken by
shortening the payment period to downsize the risk of not
settling the loan. Whether
the car is luxurious or not
does not make a difference to
the terms of the loans. “We
are a financing institution
and our objective is to
finance a vehicle loan regardless of how new it is,” Hajjaj
said.
Speaking on how the
financial crisis affected the
market, Hajjaj said that the
only affect the crisis had on
Al-Soor was that it changed
consumer behavior. He said
the company has had to focus
more on the flexibility and
terms of the loans than the
price of the vehicle itself.
Consumers who get laid off
have a hard time settling
their loans. Many have preferred to buy in cash, Hajjaj
said, and pointed out that
cash sales reached 40 percent - up from 20 percent - of
total sales. “Even though the
number of qualified consumers decreased after the
crisis,” he said, “it did not
reach an alarming level.”

Rape attempt
An Iranian woman accused
her husband’s friend of
attempting to rape her, reported Al-Watan. She told police
that her Iranian husband was at
work when his friend came
asking for him. Instead of leaving when she told him that he
was not available the man
forced himself into the house
and attempted to assault her.
The man escaped after she
started calling for her neighbors’ help. Police are searching
for the culprit.

Fatal accidents
A car accident on Sixth Ring
Road left a child dead and her
mother injured, reported AlWatan. The accident occurred
when the mother lost control of
the vehicle for unknown reasons near Amghara Bridge and
flipped over several times.
Paramedics responded to the
emergency and pronounced
the child dead shortly after
their arrival while the mother
was rushed to the hospital.
In an unrelated incident, a
car accident on Jahra Road
resulted in the death of a citizen and the serious injury of
her two friends; a 45-year-old
Egyptian man and a 23-yearold Kuwaiti woman, reported
Al-Watan.
The
accident
occurred just before Amghara
Bridge on the way to Kuwait
City. The 19-year-old was
killed after she suffered a
severe fracture to her skull.
The two who were injured
were rushed to Mubarak
Hospital.

Mishap
A truck driver was killed
after his vehicle fell on top of
him while he was underneath
it, reported Al-Watan. The
accident occurred in Shamia
after the driver positioned himself under the vehicle to fix a
malfunction and it accidently
fell on top of him.

Sexual assaults
Three criminals kidnapped
and raped a married Kuwaiti
woman in Ahmadi, reported
Al-Rai. The woman reported
that she was forced into one of
the assailants’ car where his
three accomplices were waiting. The woman informed her
husband of the assault and
reported the incident at a
Jaber Al-Ali police station.
Meanwhile, a juvenile was
arrested after he was accused
of sexually molesting his
neighbor’s four-year-old son
behind his home in Abdullah
Al-Mubarak, reported Al-Rai.
The boy’s father reported the
incident to the area’s police
station and pressed charges
against his son’s molester.
Police placed the culprit
under arrest and held him for
questioning.

Public drinking
A drunk man was arrested
in Sharq after passersby
informed police that he was
acting
strangely.
Police
responded to the scene and
arrested the man after confirming that he was intoxicated.

Drug dealer nabbed
Ahmadi police arrested an
unemployed citizen for being
in possession of drugs and
being intoxicated. The man
was approached by authorities after they spotted him
parked suspiciously on the
side of Fahaheel Highway.
After police determined that
the man was under the influence of drugs they searched
his vehicle and found him to
be in possession of a quarter
kilogram of hashish. When
questioned by authorities he
admitted to selling the drugs
during and was referred to
the proper authorities.

Ahmadi crackdown
A campaign carried out by
Ahmadi officials resulted in
the shutting down of 15 unlicensed baqalas and five illegal international phone call
centers in Subahiya and
Fahaheel, reported Al-Anba.
The campaign resulted in the
arrest of eight Asian men
responsible for running the
illegal phone call centers and
dozens of others for violating
residency laws. The lawbreakers were referred to
the proper authorities.

in the news

Kuwait donates $30,000
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait has donated USD 30,000 for Singapore’s Mohammadiya Charitable Society,
said a statement yesterday. A statement by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Singapore noted that first secretary
of the embassy Nasser Al-Qahtani had already handed the donation to head of the society Sheikh
Hussein Yaqoob. Yaqoob and members of the society expressed their deepest thanks and appreciation
to the Kuwaiti leadership and people for this generous donation. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Youths and Sports (PAYS) recently launched
an awareness program which aims to spread athletic awareness among employees
at the public sector. As part of the program, the PAYS’ headquarters hosted an
awareness day in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, in which staff members
took part in weight scaling and marathon activities. The program, which will cover
various public firms, includes medical tests, athletic activities as well as awareness
seminars.

TV stations slammed
KUWAIT: Sheikh Fahad Al-Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah criticized a number of satellite TV stations for enticing sectarianism and supporting terrorism, reported Al-Rai. It
was reported that he made his criticisms during a press
conference that took place prior to being attacked recently in Paris. The news was revealed by the Kuwaiti
Ambassador to France, Ali Al-Saied, who further indicated that Sheikh Fahad’s condition is “not concerning.” He
noted that he is currently receiving medical attention at a
hospital in France and that he was never admitted to the
intensive care unit. The ambassador did not confirm a
connection between the attack and the statements that
the Sheikh made during the press released. He stated
that authorities are currently pursuing the attacker in
hopes of questioning him for the motives behind his
assault.

Dr Al-Khorafi speaks
on female leadership
KUWAIT: Dr Fayeza Al-Khorafi said that women in
leadership positions should be a symbol of inspiration,
reported Al-Anba. Al-Khorafi, the first woman to
become a university director in Kuwait and throughout
the Middle East as well as the first woman appointed to
a minister’s position in Kuwait and across the Gulf
region, pointed out that there is no difference between
a man and a woman being in a leadership position. She
added that the most important thing is to make the right
decision at the right time. She said that a woman in a
leadership position should work in groups, confer with
consultants and work in committees, emphasizing that
centralizing work around an individual often results in
poor leadership. Al-Khorafi added that having strong
Islamic morals and a sense of justice will encourage others to respect a female leader.

Bonuses at govt’s discretion
KUWAIT: Civil Service Commission Chairman Abdulaziz
Al-Zabin said that government organizations have the
right to pay allowances as they see fit, reported Al-Anba.
His comments were a response to a suggestion made by
MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabae to not deprive employees
who deserve work allowances for going to hajj. Al-Zabin
said that the Civil Service Commission has authorized
government organization to grant work allowance bonuses at their own discretion. He said that government organizations can give less allowances, or not at all, as indicated in ministry regulations.

PAAAFR applauds measures
KUWAIT: The Public Authority of Agricultural Affairs
and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) recently acknowledged
the Ministry of Interior (MoI’s) efforts to nab fishermen
that overfish at Kuwaiti territorial waters. The PAAAFR
issued a public statement to the press, acknowledging
several Interior Ministry officials led by Minister Sheikh
Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah for making efforts to maintain
security and fight illegal practices, reported Al-Rai. The
authority further appealed to citizens and residents, asking them to comply with laws that are made to protect the
country’s fish resources and marine environment.

NATIONAL

Sunday, October 17, 2010

in the news
Plane tire malfunction
KUWAIT: A Bangladeshi airline carrying 229 passengers
made an emergency landing at the Kuwait International
Airport (KIA) due to a malfunction that was detected in one of
the tires. The plane arrived from Bangladesh with a malfunctioning tire. After a successful landing, firefighters rushed to
the scene after the airport’s security services were alerted
about the incident. They managed to contain a small fire that
had started on the tire, reported Al-Qabas. In the meantime,
passengers were successfully evacuated, and no injuries
were reported as fifteen ambulances were also sent to the
scene.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: The General Traffic
Department held a campaign
over the weekend. At least
1,088 citations were issued and
362 vehicles were detained.
The
Farwaniya
Traffic
Department issued 421 citations and detained 29 vehicles
in Hawally governorate. At least
1,800 citations were issued and
27 vehicles detained in the
Capital
governorate.
In
Mubarak Al-Kabeer, 306 citations were issued and two vehicles were detained. In Ahmadi,
330 citations were issued, with

Lawmaker pushes
for loan write-off
KUWAIT: A lawmaker recently announced that he would
push for the draft law to write off loans as one of his top priorities during the upcoming term of the Parliament, especially after the law was included as part of the Parliament’s
schedule. MP Saleh Ashour, however, indicated that the
number of supporters may reduce after the government
introduced amendments to a fund that aims to help insolvent
citizens to comply with their debts. In a press statement,
Ashour further asserted that these amendments failed to
address the main problem that was created by cumulative
interests, which he said, was caused due to violations committed by local banks. These were made possible due to the
Central Bank’s failure to register the case, reported Al-Rai.
Meanwhile, Ashour also announced his intention to obtain
membership at the Parliament’s foreign affairs and health
committees, noting that coordination with other MPs has
been launched.

Project execution
KUWAIT: During a weekly meeting scheduled to be held
tomorrow, the Municipal Council will discuss an query posed
by members Mohammad Al-Mefrej and Muhalhal Al-Khalid,
which relates to the execution of developmental projects, AlMefrej’s questions on Kuwait Municipality’s legal department. Among the other issues to be included in the meeting’s
schedule, is the letter referred by the Minister of Public
Works and State Minister for Municipality Affairs on enforcing the council’s new logo. This is in addition to a request put
forward by charitable organizations. This relates to reconsidering a decision to issue licenses for investment buildings,
reported Al-Rai. During the meeting, cleaning contracts, as
well as some members’ request to hold an extraordinary
meeting to discuss the Kuwait Municipality’s responses will
be considered.

Organized theft mafia
KUWAIT: At the time when governmental sources confirmed that over 100,000 citizens and expatriate consumers
had not paid their MEW bills and that around KD23 million
had not been collected because the consumers had left
Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion in 1990 a new problem has
been threatening with possible terrible consequences in the
electricity and water sector, reported Al-Watan underlining
that what’s worth millions of electric cables had been stolen
by a specialized mafia. Informed sources said that after touring the looted sites, they noticed that an organized mafia network had started operating in Kuwait since 1994- stealing the
copper cables at the um Al-Aish. ‘Such types of thefts could
not have been done by one person’, stressed the sources. The
sources also noted that the mafia had stolen cables used to
supply wells and underground water wells with power, which
endangers Kuwait’s strategic water reservoirs. According to
official statistics, the mafia committed 139 thefts in 2008, 127
in 2009 and 73 so far in 2010 costing the government millions
of dinars.

Mobile mammography
unit arrives in Kuwait
An attempt to aid early discovery, prevention of breast cancer
By Nawara Fattahova
KUWAIT: The first mobile digital mammography unit has arrived to Kuwait. Soon it will
be put into operation and be transferred to
areas throughout the six governorates in an
attempt to aid the early discovery and prevention of breast cancer. The arrival of the
new unit was celebrated on Wednesday at
the Kuwait Society for Preventing Smoking
and Cancer (KSPSC). The event was held
under the auspices of the Minister of Health,
Dr Hilal Al-Sayer and attended by the
Chairperson of the Cancer Aware Nation
(CAN) Campaign, Dr Fayza Al-Kharafi.
Dr Hilal Al-Sayer appreciated the initiative. “This is a great step towards improving
the public’s awareness of cancer. Such pro-

jects support the Ministry’s efforts to cure
this disease,” he said. He stressed the
importance diagnosing cancer early, especially in cases of breast cancer, as it is one of
the most common types of cancer in Kuwait
and around the world.
“The mobile digital mammography unit
will save time and effort for those who
would like to have a checkup,” added AlSayer. “Early discovery is an easy and effective way to increase the likelihood of curing
cancer in its first phases. This will also
increase a patient’s possibility of getting
well and decreasing the load on medical centers as patients will not have to go through
long and expensive medical treatment procedures.”
The Kuwait Institution for the

Advancement of Science (KIAS) also supports this project. “I would like to thank
KIAS for their support and I hope that other
institutes and societies will do the same,”
said Dr Fayza Al-Kharafi. KIAS is well
known for their support of development projects that serve society.” “Launching this
preventative checkup campaign is an excellent addition to the CAN Campaign’s
achievements in the past few years,” she
added. This unit will operate in cooperation
with the Ministry of Health. “Special programs for the unit will be scheduled to meet
the needs of individuals in areas throughout
Kuwait,” noted Dr Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi,
Chairman of KSPSC. “This project is just
the beginning and we are looking for more
products to serve the whole society.”

Movement opposes
book censorship
KUWAIT: The Popular Front to Defend Books organized a sitin outside the cultural cafe, as part of the Kuwait international fair, in protest against the strict monitoring of books that are
on display at the fair. Dr Mohammad Al-Hassan, representative of Al-Watan Democratic Youth League said that supervision was not done in an organized manner, which reduced the
exhibition’s status as a trivial one. Many publishers boycotted
this exhibition. He added that this random supervision does
not harm the exhibition alone. It affects culture and creativity
in Kuwait, reported Al-Anba. The protestors also issued a
press release in which they expressed their worries about the
future of culture and personal freedom in Kuwait.

kuwait digest

PC-illiterate teachers!

A

ccording to all rules
and laws, people
should get paid for the
work they do. This fact is the
reason why teachers usually
complete their work peacefully. It is also the same reason that keeps them from
demonstrating or hosting sitins against the 25-minute
extension of school days on
Tuesdays. Teachers would
not have any right to protest
if their wages were increased
adequately. Likewise, the
ministry should not extend
the school day without considering increasing teachers’
salaries or at least giving
them a monthly reward to
keep them silent.
Speaking of education,
many teachers have com-

plained about the new math
curriculum in the primary
school grades up until the
seventh grade. The Ministry
of Education should have distributed new curriculum text
books earlier so that teachers
could read through it and prepare themselves properly
before the school year started. If teachers do not understand the curriculum how will
they be able to teach it to the
tiny minds of their pupils?!
Senior math teachers in one
of the educational zones met
recently to solve the problem
as soon as possible but were
stunned to learn that many of
the teachers coming from
remote areas in certain Arab
states were computer illiterate and that they had never
used computers or laptops.
— Al-Watan

that total citations issued in less
than 72 hours were 5,337 in
number. The total number of
detained vehicles are 450. The
traffic department states that it
will continue to keep vigilance
round the clock to implement
the law.

Domestic dispute
In a case of domestic dispute,
an Egyptian husband stormed
into a women’s salon, physically
assaulted his Moroccan wife and
fled the scene. The wife had
reportedly threatened to take
the children away and had also
sought divorce from the man.

Rotten body found
KUWAIT: A number of employees at Kuwait
international fair at Mishref complained foul odor
coming from AC openings. After the AC maintenance labors checked the place, they discovered a
rotten body at the roof of the building. The body
has been sent to medical examiner for further
investigation. — Photo by Fouad Al Shaikh

Strict punishments for
‘environment’ offenders
KUWAIT: The Parliament will
enforce an environmental law that
comprises 145 articles during its
latest session. It contains several
regulations against offenders such
as sentencing violators to capital
punishment, announced Dr Salah
Al-Madhahi General Manager of
the
Environmental
Public
Authority. He said that this law
has already been approved by the
Parliament’s environmental committee. It aims to protect the
country’s environment, and subsequently, public health.
In an interview broadcast
recently by Al-Rai TV, he said
that Kuwait’s participation at
international environmental activities sends across the message
that Kuwait is committed to
resolving the environmental
issues. Al-Madhahi added that
Kuwait will comply with international standards, despite the presence of flaws. Al-Madhahi was
speaking from New York City
where he is at present, as part of
His Highness the Prime
Minister’s delegation that is participating in the United Nations
meetings. While he spoke about

environmental
achievements
made possible through contributions made by the government,
non-profit organizations as well as
citizens and residents, he asserted that several negative practices
need to be addressed.
Meanwhile, Al-Madhahi confirmed that the Municipal Council
has reserved three locations in
the country for waste recycling
operations, adding that three
companies will be entrusted with
the task of Build-TransferOperate (B-O-T) system. AlMadhahi also explained during the
interview that the Deputy Prime
Minister for Economic Affairs,
State Minister for Housing and
Development Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah, had consulted
with the EPA immediately after
the development plan was
enforced. This is to ensure that
the mega-project is being carried
out in accordance with ecological
standards. The EPA official further revealed plans that would
begin mid next year. This is to
relocate six heavy industry factories that are responsible for some
of Umm Al-Haiman’s pollution.

KUWAIT: Ahmadi detectives
arrested a citizen in his 30s
accused of cheating cosmetic supply companies out of as much as
KD 150,000, reported Al-Anba. It
was reported that the man bought
lots of cosmetics with checks that
bounced days later. The cosmetics
companies’ lawyers approached
Ahmadi Governorate authorities
and filed a case against the con
artist. An investigation revealed
that the man was unemployed and
the owner of several bogus companies, under which he had four
mandoubs working for him.
They also discovered that the

man would begin dealing with
businesses by pretending to be a
well known and wealthy businessman, buying KD 1,000 - 2,000
worth of goods when he first deals
with them in cash. Once he earns
their trust he would buy KD
10,000 worth of goods with
checks that eventually bounce
and disappear with the goods.
Police were able to eventually
identify the man and locate his
residence. Once he was arrested
and confronted by authorities he
confessed to scamming several
businesses out of thousands of
dinars.

KUWAIT: A member of the parliament recently criticized the ‘illogical connection’ between the sports
and the Kuwait Chamber of
Commerce and Industry issues,
referring to the actions of some
MPs who bring the KCCI’s subject
to the spotlight whenever the
sports issue is addressed. In a
press statement, MP Dr Aseel AlAwadhi criticized the draft law
which was proposed for the KCCI
by the parliament’s financial committee. She indicated that the MPs
who passed the law have hidden
intentions by which they aim to
question the KCCI’s role.
Al-Awadhi voiced her support

to the idea of returning the draft
law back to the financial committee for further discussion, adding
that several MPs will be working
for that goal. Meanwhile, the
National Action Bloc member indicated that the bloc is focusing on
certain permanent parliamentary
panels that include the financial,
legislative and health committees,
noting that coordination on that
regard had been started with other
blocs. In another development,
the Diwaniya of the late MP Sami
Al-Munais is set to inaugurate its
cultural season on Wednesday, by
holding a public seminar to discuss
the national movement in Kuwait.

Dear citizens and residents,
Leaving the house early helps reduce traffic jams.
Compliments of the Ministry of Interior’s security media department.

6

NATIONAL

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Wataniya Telecom hosts
3-day event at Avenues
‘Our customers are the core of our business’
KUWAIT: It is the support and trust received from customers that has made Wa taniya a strong and leading bra nd in the telecom industry. Over the years, Wataniya Telecom has continued to create products, services and events tha t are mea ningful
to all customers. Through the la unch of Wa taniya Rew ards Progra m, Wataniya has now crea ted a unique w ay of sa ying thank
you to all its loyal customers and rew arding them for being a pa rt of the Wata niya family.
Wataniya invited all its customers to a
three-day interactive and fun event as part
of the launch of Wataniya’s Rewards
Program which took place at the Avenues
Mall started from October 14 until
October 16. It was held from 6:00 pm to
10:00 pm each evening. Local celebrities
Ibrahim Dashti and Hanan Jaber entertained the crowd with exciting interactive
games, activities for which many prizes
will be given to participants.
The event included a number of booths
for Wataniya Rewards partners including
Kuwait National Cinema Company, Sultan
Center, Holiday Inn, Le Meridian, AlGhanim Electronics Xcite, Crowne Plaza,
Scientific Center, Al-Manshar Rotana

Hotel and many others. Children and families also got a chance to enjoy their time
with remarkable entertainment programs
like family shows, fun parades, stilt walkers, and much more.
Regarding the event, Wataniya
Telecom’s Abdulaziz Al-Balool, PR
Manager said, “Our customers are the
core of our business; valuing them and
expressing our appreciation towards
them is our first priority. We’ve created
Wataniya’s Rewards program for the sole
purposes of giving back hundreds of
valuable rewards to all our loyal customers.”
This event is just the beginning of
many more rewards and exciting benefits

Wataniya customers will enjoy in the
coming months. Wataniya’s team extends
its gratitude to all its customers and looks
forward to seeing everybody at the
Avenues Mall this weekend. Earning
Wataniya Rewards Points is easy, collect
points for all Wataniya services including
Internet and Data services, whether you
have a Wataniya postpaid or prepaid connection. If you have more than one line
registered under your Civil ID you can
even combine your points. Anyone with a
personal line can join the program and
collect points for simply doing what they
already do. A minimum spending of KD2
per month allows you to begin earning
points as a Wataniya Rewards Member.

NBK employees enjoy a relaxing sea cruise with their family members aboard the Icarus ship.

NBK staff, family enjoy sea cruise
KUWAIT: The employees of the National
Bank of Kuwait (NBK) accompanied by
their family members recently enjoyed a
great sea cruise excursion organized by
the Public Relations Department last
weekend aboard the cruise ship ‘Icarus.’ It

was owned and operated by Kuwait Public
Transport Company (KPTC). The event,
which was attended by a host of NBK
senior officials and employees from the
various groups and departments, featured
numerous entertainment-related activi-

NBK participates in British
Business Forum Exhibition
— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Zain organizes dinner for media
KUWAIT: Zain, the country’s premier
telecom company, hosted a dinner
reception recently for the group of
local and international media in
Kuwait to thank them for their relentless support and wide coverage about
the company. The reception was

attended by Zain CEO Nabeel Bin
Salama and other ranking Zain officials. Zain ‘raffled off’ several
Blackberries and air tickets to destinations media wished to visit. Zain is the
leading mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in

more than a dozen Middle Eastern and
African countries with a workforce of
over 5,000 providing a comprehensive
range of mobile voice and data services to over 34.2 million active individual and business customers as June
30, 2010.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK),
the leading bank in Kuwait recently participated in the “Introduction To Kuwait”
2010 Expo under the patronage of HE
Frank Baker British Ambassador which
was held at Hilton Mangaf last Tuesday.
Organized by the British Business Forum
(BBF), the event is to open to all newcomers to Kuwait; it aims to help new arrivals
acquaint themselves with the various services, businesses and social activities that
are available such as Financial Services,
Educational, Recreation, Dining as well as
the various Social Organizations that operate in the State of Kuwait.

“We were very pleased to be actively
involved for the third consecutive year at
the Intro to Kuwait organized by the
British Business Forum (BBF); it is always
good to welcome and assist newcomers to
our country, something we are always
happy & proud to do” stated NBK Deputy
General Manager -Consumer Banking
Group Nasser Al Zankawi. NBK offers specialized financial Services designed especially for the Expat community in Kuwait.
The Expat Package’s key benefits includes,
provision of up-front instant credit decisions, free online money transfer via
Watani Online and Hala Watani, free credit

cards for the first year, auto loans and retail
finance.
NBK is also unique in Kuwait in being
able to offer expatriate banking services via
its Regional and International network of
branches which include Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,Paris, New York
and London. NBK’s expatriate banking
solutions reflects the individual needs of
the customer, providing them with the
freedom and control to manage their
finances efficiently from the comfort of
home or office, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week via the website www.nbk.com or the
call center Hala Watani on 1801801.

7

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Foreign minister seeks release of Germans arrested in Iran
BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle personally asked his Iranian
counterpart to help secure the release of
two Germans arrested in Iran this week, his
spokesman said yesterday.
Westerwelle had been given the impression that Manouchehr Mottaki would
involve himself in the case of the pair
detained after interviewing the son of a
woman facing execution by stoning, the

spokesman said. The German minister had
expressed “his urgent wish that our two
compatriots may be able to return to
Germany as quickly as possible” in talks in
Brussels with Mottaki on Friday.
Iran’s public prosecutor Gholam Hossein
Mohseni Ejeie said Friday the two defendants “who came to Tabriz in cooperation
with hostile groups based abroad” had
admitted to having committed an offence,

Iranian news agencies reported. Ejeie said
the pair entered Iran on tourist visas and
identified themselves as journalists without
any proof before contacting the family of
Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani.
“They recognised that it was an offence
to pass oneself off wrongly as a journalist,”
he was quoted as saying. Westerwelle said
on Tuesday that his government was “working on all diplomatic levels and using all

diplomatic channels to pursue the freeing of
these two Germans and returning them to
Germany as soon as possible.” But on
Friday, the German government said diplomats still had no direct contact with the
arrested pair, and declined to comment on
the reports they had confessed. Iran’s state
news agency IRNA reported that in his
meeting with Mottaki on the sidelines of a
“Friends of Democratic Pakistan” confer-

ence in Brussels Westerwelle asked that
“the two Germans benefit from Islamic kindness” and be released. Mottaki responded
that “their file will be examined within the
scope of the law,” IRNA said. Ashtiani was
sentenced to death by two different courts in
the northwestern city of Tabriz in separate
trials in 2006. The first death sentence, by
hanging, for her involvement in the murder
of her husband, was commuted to a 10-year

jail term by an appeals court in 2007. But the
second, by stoning, was on a charge of adultery levelled over several relationships,
notably with the man convicted of her husband’s murder, and was upheld by another
appeals court the same year. Since July,
Iranian officials have said repeatedly that the
stoning sentence has been stayed, in the face
of an international outcry including from the
Vatican. — AFP

GAZA CITY: Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniya (R) meets with delegates of The Elders group of retired prominent world figures, former Irish
president Mary Robinson (C-L), Indian activist Ela Bhatt (2nd L) and former
UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi (L), in Gaza City yesterday during the group’s
visit to the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. — AFP

Gaza restrictions are an
obstacle to peace: Elders
GAZA CITY: A delegation of the Elders group of
retired world figures yesterday visited the Hamasruled Gaza Strip and called Israeli restrictions on
the Palestinian enclave both illegal and an obstacle
to peace. “Mary Robinson, Ela Bhatt and Lakhdar
Brahimi say the isolation of Gaza is not only illegal
collective punishment, but also an impediment to
peace,” a statement from the group said after they
spent the day in the enclave. Robinson is Ireland’s
former president and UN high commissioner for
human rights, Bhatt is an Indian women’s rights
campaigner, and Brahimi former Algerian foreign
minister and UN envoy.
The three met local leaders, rights activists,
business people, women’s organisations, UN officials and the Gaza authorities, the statement said.
“I was last here in 2008, just before the Gaza war.
The situation has deteriorated to a shocking extent
since then,” delegation leader Robinson said. “This
is not a humanitarian crisis - it is a political crisis
and it can be solved politically. “It is unconscionable and unacceptable that Israel and the
international community have not lifted the blockade fully to allow Gazans to rebuild their lives and
be part of the interconnected world that we take for
granted.”
Israel and Egypt imposed closures on Gaza after
Palestinian militants seized an Israeli soldier in a
deadly cross-border raid in June 2006. They tightened them the following year when Hamas seized
power from forces loyal to Western-backed
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Israel began
to ease its restrictions earlier this year, allowing in
all purely civilian goods, after an international outcry
over a May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid
flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed.

The statement said the Elders were briefed by
UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) officials on
providing basic services such as water, power,
housing, education and health to the population of
the densely populated territory. “Holding 1.5 million people in what is effectively an open prison is
deepening the sense of anger and injustice of the
Palestinians. We are here to show solidarity with
them. This situation is a disaster,” Brahimi said.
Hamas premier Ismail Haniya’s office said he
had briefed the delegation and said: “It is a national necessity to put an end to Palestinian divisions.”
On the US-brokered peace process with Israel,
Haniya poured scorn on the talks as “negotiations
for the sake of negotiation and not to achieve
Palestinian rights.”
Brahimi, meanwhile, said marginalising Hamas
from the peace process was counter-productive.
“Whether you agree with Hamas or not, they represent an important constituency among
Palestinian people and sooner or later they will
have to play a role in deciding their future,” he said.
“We were encouraged to hear from Hamas that
they are committed to progress on intraPalestinian reconciliation,” Brahimi added.
The delegation, which is to be joined by former
US president Jimmy Carter in Cairo today, is also
to visit Syria, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.
“The aim of their visit is to encourage support
across the region for the current final-status negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians, an
earlier Elders statement said. Direct peace talks
which resumed in Washington at the start of
September have run into the ground over Israel’s
refusal to renew restrictions on Jewish settlement
construction in the occupied West Bank. — AFP

WEST BANK: A Palestinian student from the Al-Quds University and members of the Fatah political party holds up the party flag as he and others help
farmers to harvest their olives situated near the Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank town of Beit Jala opposite to Gilo the Jewish
settlement and adjacent to the biblical Palestinian town of Bethlehem yesterday. — AFP

“The remarks ... on the deployment of
a UN buffer zone on the border between
north and south reflect nothing but ignorance of the facts on the course of events
in Sudan or harassment aimed at
(Sudan’s) stability and integrity,” Sudan’s
army spokesman told the state Suna
news agency late on Friday.
People from Sudan’s oil-producing
south are now less than three months
away from the scheduled start of the
vote, promised in a 2005 peace deal that
ended decades of north-south civil war —
a conflict that left an estimated 2 million
dead.
Southerners, who mostly follow traditional beliefs and Christianity, are widely
expected to vote for secession, while the
largely Muslim north wants to keep
Africa’s largest country united.
The president of the semiautonomous south, Salva Kiir, last week
told visiting UN Security Council envoys
he feared the north was moving troops
southwards and preparing for war, members of the delegation said.
Washington’s ambassador to the
United Nations, Susan Rice, on Thursday
confirmed Kiir had asked for a UNadministered 10-mile (16-km) buffer
zone along the ill-defined border.
US President Barack Obama last
week said Sudan was one of his top priorities, adding he wanted to prevent war
and avert the risk of conflict opening up a
new space for terrorist activity in the
region.
Army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khaled
told Suna on Friday there was no threat
to southerners’ safety and that Sudan’s
armed forces could deal with any securi-

ty incidents. He added the UN peacekeepers in the country already had their
own job to do, monitoring the roll out of
the 2005 peace accord.
The UN already has 10,000 peacekeepers in Sudan, not counting its joint
mission with the African Union in Darfur,
most of them stationed in the south and
former civil war battle ground areas.

A UN official told Reuters the mission
had already deployed more peacekeepers
to Abyei, a central oil-producing area
claimed by the north and the south.
The 2005 peace accord promised
Abyei residents a referendum on
whether to join the north or south by the
same official deadline as the southern
vote-Jan. 9, 2011. The north and south

remain at loggerheads over which of the
communities in the area count as Abyei
residents with the right to vote. The latest round of talks, brokered by the US
Sudan envoy Scott Gration, ended without agreement on Tuesday.
Northern and southern troops have
already clashed in Abyei since the 2005
peace deal. — Reuters

AMMAN: A female member of Jordan’s Islamic Action Front holds balloons during a protest
against the upcoming November 9 general election, as they gather outside their party headquarters in Amman, yesterday. — AFP

Israel to extradite
suspect in NY killings
JERUSALEM: A New York man
suspected of stabbing his parents to death will be extradited
to the US in the coming hours,
Israel’s Interior Ministry said
yesterday. Ministry spokesman
Sabine Haddad said Israeli immigration officials will accompany
Eric Bellucci, who was arrested
at Tel Aviv airport on Friday, on
a flight back to New York early
today.
“American authorities asked
us to be with him — for security
and because he is wanted in the
states,” she said.
Bellucci’s parents, Arthur,
61, and Marian, 56, were found
dead Wednesday night in their
Staten Island home. Haddad said
Bellucci is currently being held
at a lockup in Tel Aviv’s BenGurion International Airport,
where he was picked up on
Friday after trying to buy a plane
ticket to Beijing. His confused
manner alerted a flight clerk who
notified security officials.
Bellucci is not an Israeli citizen, and it was unclear why he
had traveled to Israel.
Israeli authorities said they
had been searching for Bellucci
for nearly 24 hours in coordination with the NYPD before his
arrest.
Footage broadcast on Israeli

TV showed police hauling an
unshaven, woozy Bellucci from
the airport into a van. His eyes
were shut and he did not resist.
Liron Cohen, an airport check-in
attendant, told Israel’s Channel
10 on Friday that the man
“appeared unstable, spoke to
himself and wasn’t sure what he
wanted” when he was at her
counter.
He tried to buy a one-way
ticket on a Turkish airline to
Beijing via Istanbul, but his credit card was rejected, she said.
When he offered to return with
cash, she checked his passport,
called her supervisors and security detained him, she said.
The NYPD said it found
Bellucci’s parents Wednesday
night after a 911 call from a relative. The New York Post reported that the couple’s daughter
had found their bodies. Police
found Bellucci’s SUV parked at
Newark Liberty International
Airport.
The NYPD said previously
that the son lived with his parents and suffered from schizophrenia. He was once a star athlete at Stuyvesant High School
in Manhattan, and his father was
a senior associate at a large real
estate company, according to
published reports. — AP

Sunday, October 17, 2010

8

INTERNATIONAL
Alliance to unveil new security concept next month in Lisbon

France, Germany offer hand
to Russia at seaside summit
PARIS: President Nicola s Sa rkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel will host
Russia ’s President Dimitry Medvedev next week at a seafront summit
designed to bind Moscow more closely into a partnership with the West. The

BANGKOK: In a file picture taken on August 20, 2010 alleged Russian arms
smuggler Viktor Bout (L) is escorted by policemen as he arrives for a hearing at
the Criminal Court in Bangkok. Russia is keen to stop Thailand’s extradition to
the United States of Bout, the so-called “Merchant of Death”, because it fears he
could reveal embarrassing secrets, experts said. Bout, a 43-year-old former
Soviet air force pilot, was arrested in 2008 after a sting operation in Bangkok
involving undercover US agents posing as Colombian FARC rebels. — AFP

Georgia detains Israelis
for alleged $7m bribe offer
TBILISI: A Georgian court yesterday ordered the
detention of two Israeli businessmen on charges of
offering a seven-million-dollar (five-million-euro)
bribe to a senior government official. Ron Fuchs and
Zeev Frenkiel are facing charges of offering a bribe
to a state official and were ordered to be held in pretrial detention without the possibility of bail, the
Tbilisi City Court said in a statement.
It said another businessman, Greek national
Ioannis Kardassopoulos, was also wanted by police.
Georgian press reported the two men were arrested Friday in the ex-Soviet republic’s western port
city of Batumi.
The court statement said prosecutors had
alleged the two businessmen had offered the bribe
to a deputy finance minister to persuade him to drop
a government appeal of an international arbitration
ruling in favour of Fuchs and Kardassopoulos. It said
the two men had met with the government official
in Istanbul on September 15 and again in Batumi on
October 14.
According to a report Friday in Investment
Arbitration Reporter, a news service specialising in

arbitration rulings, Fuchs and Kardassopoulos were
awarded 90 million dollars in compensation by the
World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement
and Investment Disputes (ICSID) in a March ruling.
The report said the two men, through their company Tramex, had entered into a joint venture with
a Georgian state oil company and obtained rights in
the early 1990s to develop an oil pipeline and other
energy infrastructure. The Georgian government
later allegedly terminated their rights and opted to
work with other partners, it said.
The report said the ICSID, in a ruling that has
not been made public, decided that Georgia was
liable to pay compensation for the losses suffered by
Tramex because of the decision to terminate their
rights. The report said Georgia had requested an
annulment of the ruling and that hearings on the
request were due tomorrow in London.
It was unclear how Frenkiel was connected with
the other two businessmen. Georgian media have
previously reported that he has interests in real
estate, telecommunications and medical services in
the country. — AFP

WARSAW: Polish opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski speaks during his party’s
Law and Justice the official beginning of the Polish local elections campaign, in
Warsaw, Poland, yesterday. The campaign kicked off one month ahead of the local
elections, which will be a test for political parties before parliament elections in
2011. — AP

Niger holds three officers
for plot against regime
NIAMEY: The former number two of Niger’s
ruling junta and two other senior officers are
being held for plotting against the regime,
including elimination of the country’s leader,
official sources said yesterday.
All three were being questioned by gendarmes in Niamey, while a fourth unnamed officer was being sought, two weeks before the
country votes in a referendum to pave the way
for the return to civilian rule.
A security source said Colonel Abdoulaye
Badie, former deputy to junta chief General
Salou Djibou, and Lieutenant Colonel Abdou
Sidikou were arrested Friday after several
weeks of surveillance and investigations.
Another source in the president’s office said
Colonel Amadou Diallo, a former military prosecutor, was arrested Saturday, the day after
being sacked from his job as equipment minister.
“They are accused of attempting to destabilise the regime, a plot they had been hatching
for three months,” the security source said.
“The project was to go so far as to eliminate”
Djibo.
The source said the aim was to delay the
transition to civilian rule, adding that there had
been long-running splits within the junta on the
length of this period.
“President Djibo will make a speech to the
nation next week to explain the situation and
calm feelings,” the source said.
Djibo, who overthrew civilian president
Mamadou Tandja in February, has pledged to
hand power to a democratically-elected government. The transition process is due to kick off
on October 31 and culminate with a presiden-

tial election on January 31, 2011. The planned
handover is set for April 6, 2011, when the new
president is due to be sworn in.
Rumours of a coup have swirled in Niamey
over the past few weeks. For several days, the
military presence in the capital and its suburbs
has been stepped up, with larger patrols, particularly at night.
Evidence of splits within the junta emerged
on October 8, when Diallo was removed from
his post as military tribunal prosecutor and
Sidikou was sacked as commander of the former presidential guard.
Meanwhile the head of the national election
commission, Ghousmane
Abdourahmane,
warned Saturday that the referendum would
have to be postponed if more funds were not
provided to stage it.
He said lack of resources was delaying the
issue of voters’ cards and the provision of
equipment including ballot boxes. International
aid of 41 million dollars has been pledged to
fund the voting process, but Abdourahmane
said there were difficulties in obtaining the
cash.
The junta won widespread public support
after the February coup when it pledged to turn
the west African country, which ranks last on
the Human Development Index, into a beacon
of “good democracy and governance”.
Tandja was ousted by the military after he
took a series of steps to prolong his term in
office beyond the end of his elected mandate,
which was in December last year.
The junta has so far refused to release
Tandja, whom it is holding in a villa within the
presidential compound. — AFP

No decisions are expected,
but observers will look for signs
that Moscow and the West are
ready to put decades of hostility
behind them and commit to what
optimists see as a common security vision “from Vancouver to
Vladivostok.”
Some allies of France and
Germany were annoyed to have
been excluded from the gettogether, concerned the pair
should meet alone with such a difficult neighbour, but diplomats
here insisted the summit would
defuse tensions.
“It’ll be a kind of brainstorming session, to get to the bottom
of thoughts and second
thoughts,” said a senior official at
Sarkozy’s Elysee Palace.
“Russia seems to be looking
more and more towards the
West, and Deauville will be a
chance to reinforce this development, which we see as positive.
“Russia seems to have rediscovered the merits of having a cooperative attitude with the West,”
said the aide, a close advisor to
Sarkozy, speaking on condition of
anonymity to set the stage for the
leaders.
French officials cite the examples of Russia’s signing a new
nuclear arms reduction treaty
with the United States, its cooperation on the Afghan crisis and
its “scrupulous” application of the
latest sanctions against Iran.
Some other NATO allies, in
particular the former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, remain
suspicious of their prickly neighbour, pointing to the 2008 war in
Georgia and some of Moscow’s
more bellicose pronouncements.
British ties with Russia have
been strained by Moscow’s
refusal to extradite a suspect in
the murder in London of a former
Russian agent, and by commercial disputes over British oil giant
BP’s investments in Russia.
And in recent years the
United States has been at loggerheads with its former Cold War
foe over its plans to site a missile
defence system in Europe.
But while Russia’s ties with
NATO as a whole have often
been difficult, the Kremlin has
proved adept at dealing directly
one-on-one with European powers, in particular France and
Germany.
Other Western allies have
expressed concern over France’s
attempts to sell Russia a fleet of
modern amphibious assault ships
and Germany’s involvement in a
Baltic gas pipeline that will
increase its reliance on Russian
energy.
French officials admit their
warm relations with Russia
remain “fragile”, but insist that if
handled correctly Moscow can be
brought on board as a true partner in NATO in Europe-Atlantic
security.
The Alliance will unveil its
new security concept next month
at its summit in Lisbon, and
Western leaders hope Medvedev
will confirm in Deauville that he
will attend the meeting and and
give his support to their vision.
“I think the conditions have
come together for a serious partnership with Russia, and that we
don’t consider her definitively as
an enemy,” said German diplomat
Wolfgang Ischinger, organiser of
the Munich security conference.
In Moscow, Medvedev’s top
foreign policy advisor confirmed
that closer ties with NATO would
be on the agenda in Deauville,
including Russia’s long-term goal
of a formal new joint European
security framework.
“Promoting
Dmitry
Medvedev’s
initiative-the
European security treaty-is naturally of priority significance for
us,” Sergei Prikhodko told
reporters at the Kremlin ahead of
the summit.
Talk of a specifically European
security treaty will not please
Washington, the main player in
the NATO alliance and a guarantor of European security since
World War II, but France will
seek to reassure the Americans.
“They are irreplaceable, but
it’s not forbidden for Europeans
to talk about security among
themselves,” the Elysee aide
said.
Sarkozy and Merkel will meet
together to harmonise their own
positions tomorrow before meeting Medvedev for dinner on
Monday evening, with the main
work of the summit following on
Tuesday. — AFP

trio w ill meet tomorrow and Tuesday in the Channel resort of Dea uville, tw o
decades after the fa ll of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War and
a month before the NATO a llies meet to agree their new security vision.

Italy police arrest woman
in fatal teen overdose
ROME: A probe into the overdose death of
a 19-year-old Italian led to the arrest Friday
of a Japanese woman found in possession
along with a male companion of 5,000 LSDcoated stamps and a large amount of the
Ecstasy drug ingredient MDMA, allegedly
for sale at rave parties, police in Bologna
said.
Carabinieri police Capt. Luca Palmieri
told The Associated Press in Rome that
Yukari Miyoshi, 31, was arrested in a hotel
near Novara in Piedmont, northern Italy,
Friday, some 260 kilometer (160 miles)
from Bologna. Police suspect she is one of
three people in Bologna who supplied
drugs Sunday night to Enrico Rumolo, who
died the next day in the hospital, Palmieri
said in a telephone interview.

Local news reports quoted Sant’Orsola
hospital doctors as saying an “enormous”
amount of drugs and alcohol did massive
damage to his kidneys, liver and heart.
Police earlier in the day at a news conference in Bologna identified Miyoshi’s 29year-old companion as Masaya Nakao and
displayed a large amount of euro bills and
sheets of the alleged LSD-coated stamps
authorities say were found in luggage in
the couple’s hotel room. Police said the
couple also were in possession of 700
grams (about 1.5 pounds) of MDMA, the
main ingredient of Ecstasy, in powder and
crystal form. Miyoshi was being held at
Vercelli prison in Piedmont on suspicion of
possessing and supplying drugs while
Nakao was being held in Novara prison on

suspicion of possession of drugs, the captain said.
He said authorities had not yet estimated the street sale value of the confiscated
drugs because laboratory analysis was still
being conducted.
“In the woman’s possession we found a
notebook in which she kept the books on
the sale and leaflets promoting parties and
rave gatherings all over Italy,” Palmieri
said. Also found were various boarding
passes for Greece, France, Portugal and
Central America, he said, indicating the
woman had probably recently been traveling. “Probably she worked on her own and
wasn’t in any network of pushers, but the
investigation is still under way,” Palmieri
said. — AP

MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, participates in the All-Russian population
census in the Gorki residence outside Moscow, yesterday. President Medvedev and his wife Svetlana
invited a census taker to their suburban residence to fill in the census questionnaire. Russia on
Thursday launched a two-week population census — its first since 2002 and second in its post-Soviet
history. — AP

Voting ends in Czech senatorial elections
PRAGUE: Voting ended in Czech local elections and the first round of a mid-term senatorial poll yesterday in what is seen as a first
test of the country’s centre-right government and its austerity plan.
Pollings stations closed at 2:00 pm (1200
GMT) and first results were expected later
Saturday. “In a way, we will see... to what
extent these local and, in some places,
Senate elections confirm a trend that
started after the general election in May,”
President Vaclav Klaus said after casting his
vote in a Prague school on Friday.
Voters cast ballots to pick municipal councillors and 27 senators for the 81-seat upper
house of parliament from 2:00 pm to 10:00
pm on Friday and from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
yesterday.
If the first round of the senatorial vote
fails to produce a candidate with more than
50-percent support in a district, the two
strongest candidates in the district will pro-

ceed to a second round run-off, scheduled for
October 22-23.
The Senate vote may tilt the country’s
politics towards the left in protest against
unpopular austerity measures taken by the
centre-right cabinet, which could put planned
reforms and the country’s future role in the
Afghan war into doubt.
“In places where senatorial elections are
held, people also decide whether the Senate
will be able to correct reforms... or reject
them,” Prime Minister Petr Necas said after
casting his vote on Saturday.
His right-wing Civic Democrats teamed
up with right-wing TOP 09 and centrist
Public Affairs for a majority of 118 votes in
the 200-seat lower house of parliament after
the May general election.
The Civic Democrats are also the
strongest party in the Senate, which must
approve all bills passed by the lower house
before they can be signed into law by the

president.
But the left-wing Social Democrats, who
have slammed all budget cuts as too harsh for
low-income groups, are likely to boost their
presence as they are not defending any of the
27 seats up for grabs in the mid-term ballot.
A left-wing majority in the Senate could
also thwart the cabinet’s plan to boost Czech
participation in NATO’s Afghan war effort
next year, which needs backing from a simple
majority of all senators under the constitution-something the left-wingers are unlikely
to offer. In the local elections, the Civic
Democrats are in danger of losing the post of
Prague mayor for the first time since the
party was founded in 1991, as voters are
increasingly fed up with corruption scandals
at city hall.
Latest polls suggest former central bank
governor and TOP 09 candidate Zdenek
Tuma might take the top position in the
Czech capital. — AFP

internatiOnal

Sunday, October 17, 2010

9

US opposes California Prop to legalize marijuana
SAN FRANCISCO: Attorney General
Eric Holder is warning that the federal government will not look the other
way, as it has with medical marijuana,
if voters next month make California
the first state to legalize pot.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law,
which drug agents will “vigorously
enforce” against anyone carrying,
growing or selling it, Holder said.
The comments in a letter to ex-federal drug enforcement chiefs were the
attorney general’s most direct statement yet against Proposition 19 and
set up another showdown with
California over marijuana if the measure passes. With Prop 19 leading in
the polls, the letter also raised questions about the extent to which federal drug agents would go into commu-

nities across the state to catch smalltime users and dealers, or whether
they even had the resources to do it.
Medical marijuana users and
experts were skeptical, saying there
was little the federal government
could do to slow the march to legalization.
“This will be the new industry,”
said Chris Nelson, 24, who smokes
pot to ease recurring back pain and
was lined up outside a San Francisco
dispensary. “It’s taxable new income.
So many tourists will flock here like
they go to Napa. This will become the
new Amsterdam.” If the ballot measure passes, the state would regulate
recreational pot use. Adults could
possess up to one ounce of the drug
and grow small gardens on private

property. Local governments would
decide whether to allow and tax sales.
The Justice Department remains
committed to enforcing the
Controlled Substances Act in all
states, Holder said. “We will vigorously enforce the CSA against those
individuals and organizations that
possess, manufacture or distribute
marijuana for recreational use, even if
such activities are permitted under
state law,” he wrote. The letter was
dated Wednesday and was obtained
by The Associated Press.
Holder also said legalizing recreational marijuana would be a “significant impediment” to the government’s joint efforts with state and local
law enforcement to target drug traffickers, who often distribute pot

alongside cocaine and other drugs.
The attorney general said the ballot measure’s passage would “significantly undermine” efforts to keep
California cites and towns safe.
Officials in Los Angeles County,
where authorities have aggressively
moved to tamp down on an explosion
of medical marijuana dispensaries,
vowed that they would still assist the
federal government in drug investigations. County Sheriff Lee Baca and
District Attorney Steve Cooley said at
a news conference that the law would
be unenforceable because it is
trumped by federal laws that prohibit
marijuana cultivation and possession.
“We will continue as we are today
regardless of whether it passes or
doesn’t pass,” Baca said. His deputies

don’t and won’t go after users in their
homes, but public use of the drug will
be targeted, he said. Both gubernatorial candidates — Democrat Jerry
Brown and Republican Meg Whitman
— oppose Prop 19 and declined comment Friday.
Federal drug agents have long
concentrated on big-time drug traffickers and left street-level dealers
and users to local and state law
enforcement. As police departments
began enforcing California’s medical
marijuana law, the DEA only sporadically jumped in to bust medical users
and sellers that local law enforcement
was no longer targeting. Allen
Hopper, a drug law reform expert at
the American Civil Liberties Union in
Northern California, predicted that

federal agents would selectively crack
down on marijuana growers and merchants instead of going after every
Californian who uses pot.
“They don’t have the resources to
flood the state with DEA agents to be
drug cops,” he said. Nearly all arrests
for marijuana crimes are made at the
state level. Of more than 847,000
marijuana-related arrests nationwide
in 2008, for example, just over 6,300
suspects were booked by federal law
enforcement, or fewer than 1 percent.
Consequently, the fight over legalization may end up the same way
medical marijuana did, experts said.
When Californians approved their
first-in-the-nation medical marijuana
law in 1996, then-President Bill
Clinton’s administration vowed a

harsh crackdown. But nearly 15 years
later, California’s billion-dollar medical marijuana industry is thriving.
During the administration of former President George W. Bush,
retail pot dispensaries across the
state faced regular raids from federal
anti-drug agents. Their owners were
sometimes sentenced to decades in
prison for drug trafficking.
Yet the medical marijuana industry still grew, and it has expanded
even more since Holder said last year
that federal law enforcement would
defer to state laws on using it for
medicinal purposes.
Besides California, 13 other states
and the District of Columbia have
legalized medical marijuana in recent
years. —AP

Democrats desperate to hold their losses to three dozen seats

As Dems’ message lags,
Reps await big election win
WASHINGTON: Two weeks before Election Day, Democrats fear their
grip on the House of Representatives may be gone, and Republicans are
poised to celebrate big gains in the Senate and governors’ mansions as
well. Analysts in both parties say all major indicators tilt toward the
Republicans. President Barack Obama’s policies are widely unpopular.
Congress, run by the Democrats, rates even lower. Fear and anger over
unemployment and deep deficits are energizing conservative voters; liberals are demoralized. Private groups are pouring huge sums of money into
Republican campaigns. An almost dizzying series of Democratic messages
has failed to gain traction, forcing Obama to zigzag in search of a winning

HONOLULU: This image provided by the US Navy shows US Marine Corps Maj
Gen Randolph Alles, left, and Rear Adm. Liao Shining of the People’s Liberation
Army Navy sign the Summary of Proceedings following the conclusion of their talks
Friday in Honolulu. The US Pacific Command said in a statement the Honolulu
meeting was aimed at increasing the safety of airmen and sailors and was an important part of a “sustained, reliable and meaningful military-to-military relationship.” These were the first such discussions since China broke off contact earlier
this year to protest the US sale of arms to Taiwan. —AP

US, China hold maritime
security talks in Hawaii
HONOLULU: The US and Chinese militaries
have finished two days of talks over security on
the high seas, the first such discussions since
China broke off contact earlier this year to protest
the US sale of arms to Taiwan.
The resumption of military contacts after an
eight-month freeze adds to what appears to be a
warming of delicate US-China relations. They
came just days after China invited Defense
Secretary Robert Gates to visit Beijing. The US
Pacific Command said in a statement at the conclusion of Friday’s session in Honolulu that the
talks were aimed at increasing the safety of airmen and sailors and were important for a “sustained, reliable and meaningful military-to-military relationship.” There was no immediate comment from China on the talks. Calls to the
defense ministry press office in Beijing rang unanswered.
The United States has long expressed concern
about mishaps or near-mishaps when the two militaries operate near each other, such as in Asian
territory.
“This week’s discussions were designed to
increase safety of our sailors and airmen operating
in proximity,” said US Marine Corps Maj. Gen.
Randolph Alles, who led the US delegation. “It
was a professional and frank exchange.” In 2001, a
US spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet
and made an emergency landing on China’s
Hainan island. The Chinese pilot died and the US
crew of 24 was detained on Hainan for 11 days.
Last year, Chinese ships surrounded and
harassed a US Navy mapping ship, the USNS
Impeccable, in international waters off China. The
Chinese ships at one point came within 25 feet of
the American boat and strewed debris in its path.
China later said the US ship was operating illegally inside China’s exclusive economic zone. Rear
Adm. Liao Shining of the People’s Liberation
Army Navy led the Chinese side at the discus-

sions. The Pacific Command said both sides will
report their findings to Defense Consultative
Talks scheduled to be held in Washington Dec. 910.
China suspended military relations with the
US in January after objecting to a $6.4 billion US
arms package for Taiwan, the self-governing
island that China claims as its own territory.
China signaled relations might be repaired
when Maj. Gen. Qian Lihua told visiting US
Assistant Deputy Defense Secretary Michael
Schiffer that regular dialogue and exchanges on
military safety at sea and other issues would be
resumed.
High-level contact came earlier this week
when Gates met Chinese Gen. Liang Guanglie at
an Asian security meeting in Vietnam, where
Gates accepted an invitation to visit Beijing. The
Pentagon says Gates will likely go to the Chinese
capital early next year.
Regional tensions and heated rhetoric have
underscored the importance of regular contacts
between the two militaries, much to the frustration of US officers who complain of the lack of
access to their Chinese counterparts. China has
been especially strident about US involvement in
territorial disputes in the South China Sea —
which Beijing claims in its entirety — along with
joint US-South Korean anti-submarine drills in
the Yellow Sea, part of which lies within Chinese
sovereign waters. China also claims to control
water far off its coastline that the United States
considers open water under international law,
leading to the dispute over the USNS Impeccable.
China considers the US position on maritime navigation and security to be outside meddling in
Asian affairs.
The maritime talks are a continuation of contacts begun in the late 1990s but subject to frequent interruption, usually at Chinese behest.
They were last held in September 2009. —AP

Clinton: US working to
end Mexico’s drug violence
SAN FRANCISCO: Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton
reiterated her support Friday for
ending Mexico’s drug violence,
saying it was in the United States’
interest to crack down on drug
cartels that have begun behaving
more like terrorists and insurgent
groups. Clinton told a sold-out
meeting of the nonpartisan
Commonwealth Club in San
Francisco that she was surprised
comments she made last month
comparing Mexico to Colombia
during its past cocaine wars were
critically received. “This is one of
the most difficult fights that any
country faces today. We saw it
over the last couple of decades in
Colombia,” she said. “We are
watching drug traffickers undermine and corrupt governments in
Central America, and we are
watching the brutality and barbarity of their assaults on governors
and mayors, the press, as well as

each other, in Mexico.” Similar
remarks Clinton made before the
Council on Foreign Relations
prompted President Barack
Obama, among others, to say that
Mexico was in much better shape
politically and economically than
Colombia was during the 1980s.
Government officials in Mexico
also rejected Clinton’s comparison. “These drug cartels are now
taking on a lot of the attributes of
these terrorists and insurgent
groups we see around the world,”
Clinton said Friday. “For the first
time, they are using car bombings. You see them being much
more organized in a kind of paramilitary way.” Clinton described
Friday’s speaking engagement as
only her third domestic public
appearance since joining Obama’s
cabinet last year.
She said she also has been
surprised that some political commentators have disagreed with

her insistence that the United
States shares responsibility for
drug-related violence in Mexico.
Americans have demonstrated an “insatiable demand” for illegal drugs, and the US has failed to
crack down on the thousands and
thousands of weapons trafficked
into Mexico, Clinton repeated on
Friday. “I thought it was an obvious thing to say,” she said. In
prepared remarks, Clinton also
praised Northern California’s
technology companies as instrumental to the administration’s
goals for promoting peace and
prosperity abroad.
Clinton called Silicon Valley a
model for government efforts to
promote what she termed the
“freedom to connect.” She gave
the example of young students in
Syria using cell phones and
Facebook to alert the world
about beatings inflicted by their
teachers. —AP

With early voting under way
in many states, Democrats are
trying to minimize the damage
by concentrating their resources
on a dwindling number of races.
“The poll numbers and the
enthusiasm on the right versus
the lack of the enthusiasm on
the left suggest a pretty big
Republican night,” said former
Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who
once headed the Democratic
Senatorial
Campaign
Committee.
With Democrats in power
while the unemployment rate
stands at 9.6 percent, “it’s difficult to say, ‘Well it could have
been worse,”‘ Kerrey said.
Governing parties typically
lose seats in the so-called
midterm elections, which take
place in the middle of a president’s four-year term, but this
November Democratic losses
are likely to be particularly
severe. Polls, campaign finance
reports and advisers in both parties indicate that Republicans
are in line to seize on a level of
voter discontent that rivals
1994, when the Republicans
gained the House majority for
the first time in 40 years.
Democrats are embattled at
every level.
Republicans need to win 40
seats to regain the House majority they lost four years ago.
Even some Democratic officials
acknowledge that their losses
could well exceed that.
A Republican takeover would
depose Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the
first female House speaker and
force Obama to negotiate with
Republicans on every significant
legislative issue. Every day
brings fresh evidence of
Democratic officials virtually
abandoning House members
whose re-election bids seem
hopeless. Republicans are
expanding the field to pursue
races that once appeared unattainable. In the coming week,
Republicans or supportive outside groups plan to spend money

formula. With the Nov. 2 election quickly nearing, Obama is campaigning
coast to coast, raising money for candidates and looking to energize
Democratic voters whose enthusiasm has waned since the 2008 presidential election. But Obama acknowledges that even in the most reliably liberal states, no Democratic candidate is guaranteed victory in November.
That helps explain Obama’s scheduled appearance Saturday afternoon at a
Boston rally for Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a longtime friend and
political ally. Republicans have tried to use Patrick’s close relationship
with the president as a campaign wedge against the incumbent seeking a
second term.

LOS ANGELES: Former President Bill Clinton arrives for an event on behalf of
California Attorney General and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jerry Brown
during a campaign stop at UCLA in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. —AP
in 82 House races that they see
as competitive or within reach of
a last-minute upset. All 435
House seats are on the ballot.
Democrats, desperate to hold
their losses to three dozen
seats, plan to run TV ads in 59
races in the remaining days. But
their chief House campaign
committee has recently canceled millions of dollars worth of
advertising for struggling Reps.
Steve Driehaus and Mary Jo
Kilroy of Ohio, Suzanne Kosmas
of Florida, Betsy Markey of
Colorado and Steve Kagen of
Wisconsin.
They are shifting some of
that money to incumbents once
considered safe, such as Arizona
Rep. Raul Grijalva. But in a sign
of the election’s volatility, they
also are helping viable incumbents they had expected to be
trailing significantly — South
Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth
Sandlin, for example.

The Democrats’ House campaign committee raised almost
$16 million in September and
has $41.6 million in the bank.
That’s a big fundraising advantage over the Republicans’
House campaign committee.
But the figures are misleading
because heavy spending by outside groups, which often hide
their donors’ identities, clearly
favors Republican candidates.
To gain the Senate majority,
Republicans must hold all 18 of
their seats on this year’s ballots
while picking up 10 of the 19
Democratic seats at stake. It’s a
tough task, but not inconceivable.
Democrats trail badly in
states where they once held
some hope of supplanting
Republicans: Missouri, New
Hampshire, Ohio and Florida.
Kentucky is the only one that’s
still close. But Democrats have
reduced their spending there, a

sign that Republican and tea
party favorite Rand Paul is clearly ahead.
Among seats now held by
Democrats, Republicans are
favored to win open races in
North Dakota and Indiana, and
to oust Sen. Blanche Lincoln in
Arkansas.
In Pennsylvania, where
Republican Pat Toomey had
comfortably led Democrat Joe
Sestak in polls, the race has
tightened in recent weeks, forcing the Republicans to spend
more than it had planned. The
Republican Party also is pouring
an additional $2 million into
Illinois, where Republican Mark

Kirk has slipped somewhat in
polls in his race against
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias for
Obama’s old seat.
That said, Democrats say
Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold is
struggling
mightily,
and
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is
in a tough fight.
Races are extremely close in
West Virginia and Nevada,
where Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid is battling tea partybacked Republican Sharron
Angle in a bitter and costly campaign.
Democrats are anxiously
watching Sens. Barbara Boxer in
California and Patty Murray in
Washington. Private polls show
Republicans pulling closer but
still trailing. The ultraconservative tea party movement has
proven to be a double-edged
sword. Republicans have been
energized by the tea party, an
amorphous collection of groups
and individuals opposed to what
they see as an increasingly
intrusive government and spiraling deficits. But the movement successfully targeted
establishment Republicans in
some primaries, leaving the
party with some candidates who
may be too conservative to
defeat Democratic rivals in the
general election.
Should Republicans win all
the close races and knock off
either Boxer or Murray, they
may rue the nomination of tea
partier Christine O’Donnell,
who badly trails Democrat Chris
Coons for the Delaware seat
once held by Vice President Joe
Biden. That once-promising
state could have provided the
10th Republican win needed to
take the Senate majority. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

10

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Typhoon Megi gains strength as it nears Philippines

MANILA: Typhoon Megi was gathering
strength as it moved towards the north of
the Philippines’ main island of Luzon yesterday, and the government moved
emergency workers and relief goods to
rice and corn-production areas.
A category 3 typhoon with winds of
140 kph (85 mph), Megi was about 980
km (610 miles) east of northern Luzon
and moving at 20 kph west northwest
towards northern Cagayan province, said
Nathaniel Servando, a weather bureau
official.
“So far, this would be the strongest
typhoon to hit the country this year,”
Servando said, although he added there
could be much stronger storms in coming

months. Last year, the country lost 1.3
million tonnes of paddy rice following
three strong typhoons in September and
October, prompting it to go to the market
early to boost its rice stocks.
Megi was expected to develop into a
category 4 typhoon yesterday evening,
Servando said, packing maximum winds
of up to 200 kph and dumping rains as
heavy as typhoon Ketsana, which inundated 80 percent of Manila in 2009.
Known locally as Juan, the typhoon
was expected to reach northern Luzon on
Monday afternoon and head out to the
South China Sea on Tuesday, moving
towards Hainan and northern Vietnam.
The storm is not expected to hit the

capital hard unless it changes direction
unexpectedly. Weather forecasters said
Megi would be felt in northern Luzon,
where rice and corn are important crops,
by Sunday afternoon.
Benito Ramos, head of the national
disaster agency, said the government
could order an evacuation in areas where
Megi was expected to cause landslides,
storm surges and flash floods in low-lying
areas in the north’s rice-and-corn areas.
Emergency workers, including soldiers, police and firemen, were on standby for rescue and relief operations, he
said.
In July, typhoon Conson killed 102
people. It unexpectedly changed direc-

tion and sliced through Manila, cutting
power across the sprawling metropolis of
12 million people, prompting President
Benigno Aquino to sack the chief weather forecaster.
Conson, locally called Basyang,
destroyed or damaged about 377 million
pesos ($9 million) worth of infrastructure
and crops, including 86,000 metric
tonnes of rice, corn and vegetables.
Typhoon Ketsana, known locally as
Ondoy, dumped record rain in Sept 2009
on the capital region and nearby areas,
killing 277 people, making tens of thousands homeless and causing more than
$100 million of damage to crops, infrastructure and property. — Reuters

Thousands in China, Japan
rally over island claims
Comments and photos quickly removed from mainland websites
BEI JI NG: Thousands of Chinese marched in the street s in sometimes violent protests yesterday against Japan and its claim to disputed islands, a
show of anger far larger than past protests over the competing terr it or ial claims. Phot os from the sout hwestern city of Chengdu and the central
city of Zhengzhou showed hundreds of people marc hing with banners and signs protesting Japan’s claim on what China calls the Diaoyu islands.
Japan calls t hem t he Senkaku islands.

TOKYO: Men appearing to be Chinese residents in Japan are pulled by police officers after they sat in front
of an anti-China protest march in central Tokyo yesterday. Japanese nationalist groups rally to protest
against China over the recent territorial row involving rocky islands in the East China Sea. — AFP

N Korea threatens ‘1,000-fold’
increase in weapons buildup
SEOUL: North Korea’s media
yesterday threatened “1,000fold” military buildup as the
United States ruled out lifting
sanctions to try to coax
Pyongyang into resuming talks
aimed at its nuclear weapons
programs. Last year, North
Korea quit the nuclear disarmament talks and later tested an
atomic device that drew tightened UN sanctions. But the
North has recently expressed
willingness to rejoin the negotiations, which include the US,
South Korea, China, Japan and
Russia.
North Korean First Vice
Foreign Minister Kim Kye
Gwan said this week that his
country will not return to the
disarmament-for-aid
talks
unless sanctions are lifted,

according to South Korea’s
Yonhap news agency. US State
Department spokesman P.J.
Crowley responded Friday that
sanctions exist because North
Korea consistently has failed to
live up to its international obligations. “We have no intention of
removing those sanctions as an
enticement for dialogue,” he
told reporters.
Yesterday’s Minju Joson
newspaper, part of North
Korea’s state-controlled media,
said in a commentary that the
country’s war deterrent force
will be strengthened “100-or
1,000-fold” as long as the US
military threats persist, according to the North’s official
Korean Central News Agency.
The North has often made
similar threats. The latest one

came two days after South
Korea wrapped up naval drills
with the US, Australia and Japan
aimed at intercepting illicit
weapon shipments in a US-led
program targeting nations such
as North Korea.
Despite repeated assurances
from Washington, the North
believes any military drills
involving the US are aimed at an
eventual invasion. The naval
drills were “an undisguised military provocation and declaration of a war against” North
Korea, the North’s main Rodong
Sinmun newspaper said in a
commentary carried by KCNA.
This week’s one-day maneuvers
were Seoul’s first active participation in the Proliferation
Security Initiative, aimed at
deterring trade in weapons of

mass destruction and missiles
by states including North Korea
and Iran. Separately, the South
Korean and the US air forces
kicked off their annual drills
Friday, which they say are
aimed at improving their combined combat capabilities. The
drills will last for a week,
according to Seoul’s Defense
Ministry.
North Korea’s latest threats
continue a trend of mixed messages
from
the
North.
Pyongyang has recently reached
out to South Korea and called
for talks on the resumption of
stalled tours to a resort inside
North Korea. The two sides
have also agreed to hold the first
reunions in a year later this
month for families divided by
the Korean War. — AP

PYONGYANG: In this Oct 11, 2010 photo, a woman walks with a child in Pyongyang, North
Korea. — AP

Japanese retailers ItoYokado and Isetan said protesters in Chengdu broke
windows and showcases in
their stores, Kyodo News
agency reported.
China’s state-run Xinhua
News Agency said more than
2,000 people protested in
Chengdu and thousands of
college students gathered in
the northern city of Xian.
The report was in English
only. The protests were not
reported in Chinese-language
state media, and many comments and photos were quickly removed from mainland
websites.
Protests in China are often
quickly shut down or heavily
controlled. It was not clear
whether the organizers had
permission to demonstrate
yesterday.
The Chinese demonstrations appeared to be in
response to online reports
about a planned protest in
Tokyo, where about 2,500
people held flags and marched
near the Chinese Embassy to
protest China’s claim to the
islands. Some also called for
the release of Liu Xiaobo, the
Nobel Peace Prize-winning
Chinese dissident who is
serving an 11-year prison
sentence for subversion.
A spokesman for China’s
Foreign Ministry said China
had contacted Japanese officials to “express serious concern” over the Tokyo protest,
according to a statement on
the ministry’s website.
Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu
made no mention of the antiJapan protests in China — a
difference from last month,
when the ministry responded
to far smaller protests outside
the Japanese Embassy in
Beijing and the Japanese
Consulate in Shanghai with a
call for calm.
At the time, tensions were
high over a collision between
a Chinese fishing boat and
two Japanese coast guard
ships near the islands in the
East China Sea.
China repeatedly demanded the return of the detained
fishing boat captain. Japan
eventually released the captain, but Beijing shocked
Tokyo by demanding an apology.
Earlier this month, the
tensions seemed to calm after
the prime ministers of the
two countries held an
impromptu
after-dinner
meeting in the corridor of an
Asia-Europe summit.
Police in the Chinese
cities of Chengdu, Xian and
Zhengzhou would not confirm
yesterday’s protests, saying
they would not talk to the
media.
“It was peaceful, with no
clashes,” said an employee of
a Starbucks next to the
square in Chengdu where
protesters gathered.
The man, surnamed Fu,
said by phone that a large
number of police had kept
order and that the protest had
ended. In downtown Xian, a
woman answering the telephone at the Bell Tower
Hotel said crowds were still
in the streets yesterday
evening.
“It started in the early
afternoon,” the woman said.
“There are still quite a lot of
people here.” — AP

MANILA: Workers take down large advertising tarpaulins in preparation for
the arrival of Typhoon Megi, known locally as Juan, in Manila yesterday.
Philippine residents battened down the hatches as Typhoon Megi appeared
on track to hit the north of the country late today. — AFP

9 Vietnamese fishermen
safe at disputed islands
HANOI: Nine Vietnamese fishermen whose onemonth detainment chafed China-Vietnam relations were back on the same islands at the heart
of the dispute yesterday, this time after a Chinese
patrol boat rescued them in stormy seas.
China released the men and their boat Monday,
and they started their journey home despite warnings of a tropical weather system. The fishermen
had not been heard from since leaving, and
Vietnam and China agreed to work together on a
search and rescue mission.
Le Van Doi, an official from Ly Son island off
the coast of central Quang Ngai province where
the fishermen live, confirmed the boat captain
called his family yesterday to say they were safe
and could be home in three days at the earliest.
The online newspaper VnExpress reported
that captain Mai Phung Luu was quoted as telling
his family that the vessel broke down after traveling 10 nautical miles on Monday. “We had to navigate the boat through stormy seas with a sail
made from blankets and mosquito nets for many
days in hungry and thirsty and ragged conditions,”
he was quoted as telling his family.
The sailors were exhausted when they were
spotted by a Chinese patrol boat which towed the
battered boat back to the Paracel islands, it said.

China detained the men on Sept. 11 near the
disputed islands in the South China Sea. Vietnam
demanded they be released immediately without
conditions, but China refused until the captain
paid a fine for having explosives aboard the boat, a
charge Vietnam denied.
Vietnam Television reported that the foreign
ministry was in contact with Chinese authorities
to bring the fishermen home. Other state media
said Vietnam may send a naval ship for them.
Vietnam and China have disputed claims over
the Paracels. China forced out the South
Vietnamese forces from the islands in 1974, one
year before the fall of the US-backed government
to the Communist forces, and the islands have
since then been occupied by China. The fishermen’s release was announced during a high-profile regional security meeting where defense ministers from the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, along with their counterparts from the United States, China, Russia,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and South
Korea met Tuesday and Wednesday in Vietnam’s
capital.
Among prominent issues up for discussion was
maritime security — including freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. — AP

Australian says Guantanamo
Bay was ‘six years of hell’
SYDNEY: Australia’s former
long-serving Guantanamo
Bay inmate David Hicks yesterday broke his silence on
life inside the US-run prison,
saying he endured deprivation and witnessed brutality
in “six years of hell”.
Hicks said he was in a
“haze of disbelief and fear,
pain and confusion” when he
arrived in Camp X-Ray in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in
early 2002 and was placed in
a cage made of cyclone fencing.
“The first two weeks of
Camp X-Ray was a blur of
hardships: No sleeping, no
talking, no moving, no looking, no information,” he
writes in “Guantanamo: My
Journey” released yesterday.
The former terrorism
suspect once dubbed the
“Aussie Taleban”, who has
since married and now lives
in Sydney, was captured in
late 2001 in Afghanistan
where he had been accused
of fighting alongside Taleban
forces.
He spent more than five
years in Guantanamo before
being sent to home in April
2007 to serve out the
remainder of the sentence
handed down by the US military commission which had
convicted him of providing
material support for terrorism. He was released from a
South Australian jail in late
2007.
Hicks, now in his mid30s, is legally unable to profit from his book because

Australia does not allow people to benefit from crime.
In three extracts released
to the media free of charge,
he speaks of how his thirst
for travel was sparked by a
chance encounter with an
Israeli traveller when he
worked in Japan training
racehorses.
He also says he had
intended to help the
Kashmiri cause for independence but ended up trapped
in Afghanistan as the US led
efforts to crush the Taleban
after the September 11,
2001 attacks in the United
States.
He writes that while an
Afghan man had risked his
life to find him a safe haven
in the northern city of
Kunduz, he ended up
attempting to take a taxi to
the capital Kabul and was
captured en route by a
Northern Alliance soldier.
“After yelling directly
into my ear, he took me by
the hand and began to pull
me away. I went to resist,
but he made a gesture to go
for his gun,” Hicks writes.
“With dread, I resigned
myself to the situation and
allowed myself to be led
away. This was the beginning of six years of hell.”
Hicks was among the first
to arrive in the then under
construction
camp
in
Guantanamo and said he
lived open to the elements in
his enclosure in which scorpions, snakes and nine-inchlong tarantulas also sought
refuge. “My cage, like all the

cages, was three steps wide
by three steps long. I shared
this space with two small
buckets: one to drink out of,
the other to use as a toilet,”
he writes.
Detainees were woken
on the hour for inspection
even during the night, preventing them from sleeping
and were not allowed to talk,
or even look around, he
writes.
“Sitting or lying in the
middle of the cage, away
from the sides, were the
only two positions we were
allowed to assume.
We could not stand up
unless ordered to, while the
biggest sin was to touch the
enclosing wire. “If we transgressed any of these rules,
even if innocently looking
about, we were dealt with by
the IRF team, an acronym
for Instant Reaction Force.
The Military Police (MP)
nicknamed this procedure
being earthed or IRFed,
because they would slam
and beat us into the ground.”
Hicks said he witnessed
his first beating a day or two
after arriving, when he saw an
Afghan inmate with a prosthetic limb slammed into the
cement floor by one MP while
five others beat him and menaced him with a dog. He said
the beating was prompted by
the Afghan’s failure to
respond to writing on the
cement floor of his cage
which read “Osama will save
us”, which another MP later
revealed to Hicks he had
scratched himself. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, October 17, 2010

11

US drone strikes in the area continues

Pakistan defends military
policy in lawless northwest
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan yesterday defended its military policy in the lawless
northwest of the country, a hotbed of Taleban and Al-Qaeda insurgency, amid
tensions in its relationship with the United States. In a statement issued by
the foreign ministry, Islamabad declared that there was no “lack of Pakistani

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani children gather together to leave the collection area after
getting bags of free food from a food distribution point at the shrine of Bari Imam
on the World Food Day in Islamabad, Pakistan yesterday. According to World
Food Program report, almost half the population of Pakistan faces difficulty gaining access to affordable food because of the soaring cost of cereals. —AP

FBI got tip about American
in Mumbai attacks: Report
WASHINGTON: The FBI
received a tip three years before
the 2008 Mumbai attacks that
an American man who helped
scout the targets was tied to the
Pakistani group behind the plot,
the Washington Post reported
on Friday.
The man, David Headley,
pleaded guilty in March to a
dozen US terrorism charges
related to the Mumbai attacks in
which 166 people were killed,
and to a plot to attack a Danish
newspaper that had published
cartoons in 2005 that lampooned
the
Prophet
Mohammed
(PBUH).
He admitted to scouting the
targets for the Islamist militant
group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and agreed to help investigators
and give testimony against others in exchange for a promise

that he would not be extradited
to India, Pakistan or Denmark.
The
Washington
Post
reported that the FBI received a
tip in 2005 about Headley’s
involvement from his wife after
the two were in a domestic dispute that resulted in his arrest.
Headley’s wife told them in
interviews that he was active in
LeT, had trained in Pakistani
camps and had looked for nightvision goggles, the newspaper
reported, citing unnamed officials and sources close to the
case.
An FBI spokesman declined
to comment on the report. The
Washington Post reported that
officials confirmed they did
receive the tip from Headley’s
wife at the time but would not
discuss what they did with the
information.

US authorities regularly
receive tips about possible terrorism plots.
Headley, who spent his
childhood in Pakistan and whose
father was Pakistani, changed
his name in 2005 from Daood
Gilani to make travel through
security easier.
He was arrested about a year
ago at Chicago’s O’Hare
International Airport as he was
trying to leave for Pakistan. He
was found with about a dozen
surveillance
videos
from
Denmark he had planned to
deliver to his handlers.
The 2008 attacks in Mumbai,
in which six Americans were
among the dead, lasted for three
days and further escalated tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan, where LeT
militants are based. —Reuters

Petraeus: NATO has facilitated Taleban movement
KABUL: Commanding Gen. David Petraeus has confirmed that coalition forces have allowed Taleban representatives to travel to Kabul for peace discussions with
the Afghan government, but a Taleban spokesman said
all such talk is only propaganda, designed to lower the
morale of the movement’s fighters.
US, Afghan and Taleban sources all declined to give
details of the contacts, if they are taking place at all.
“There have been several very senior Taleban leaders
who have reached out to the Afghan government at the

highest levels, and also in some cases have reached out
to other countries involved in Afghanistan,” Petraeus
told reporters Friday at the Royal United Services
Institute in London. “These discussions can only be
characterized as preliminary in nature,” Petraeus said.
“They certainly would not rise to the level of being called
negotiations.” In Afghanistan, Taleban leaders have told
followers that there are no official peace talks with the
US-backed Afghan government, an apparent move to
persuade their rank-and-file to stay in the fight. —AP

A leaked White House report to Congress
earlier this month also accused Pakistani forces
of avoiding “direct conflict” in North Waziristan,
while ground operations in South Waziristan
were only progressing “slowly”.
Militants fighting against more than 150,000
US and NATO troops of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
are believed to be holed up in the tribal region,
as are operatives at war with Pakistani security
forces.
Under US pressure to crack down on Islamist
havens, Pakistan last year sent 30,000 troops
into South Waziristan to destroy Taleban strongholds in the area, but no similar offensive has
been mounted in North Waziristan.
But the foreign ministry said in a statement:
“While we understand ISAF concerns, any question relating to when, how and what is to be done
in North Waziristan is based on judgment, keeping in mind our capacities, priorities and overall
national interest.
“This in no way should be interpreted as lack
of Pakistani resolve to fight terrorism,” it said.
Part of the tribal belt on the Afghan border,
North Waziristan is home to 350,000 people but
considered a stronghold for the most dangerous
militants in the world and largely impenetrable.
Washington has branded the rugged area,
which lies outside Pakistani government control,
a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most
dangerous place on Earth.
Pakistani commanders have not ruled out an
offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that
gains in South Waziristan and the northwestern
district of Swat need to be consolidated to prevent their troops from being stretched too thin.
The ministry said that the Pakistani army had
conducted “calibrated operations” against terrorist and extremist forces to establish the writ of
the state and disrupt Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.
“Recently North Waziristan has been under
sharp focus. Despite battling with the worst
floods in 100 years, (the) Pakistan army continues to maintain a presence of over 34,000 troops
in North Waziristan,” the ministry said.
“Constant pressure and squeeze, without
going in for a large scale ground operations,
has been applied on the terrorists, with success, gaining better control of the area,” it
added. —AFP

resolve to fight terrorism”. The comments come as a wave of US drone
strikes in the area continues, having killed more than 150 people and raising
tensions between Washington and Islamabad, which condemns the operations as a violation of its sovereignty.

MILAN: Italian Minister of Defense Ignazio La Russa (R) and the current commander of
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, US General David Petraeus give
a joint press conference following their meeting yesterday in Milan. Petraeus will take part in
Rome on October 18 in a meeting of the International Contact Group that will bring together top
diplomats to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including 10 representatives of Organisation of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) member states. —AFP

Italy says Herat could be
handed to Afghans by 2011
ROME: The Afghan city of Herat
could be under Afghan control by the
end of 2011, Italian Defence Minister
Ignazio La Russa said yesterday after
talks with US General David
Petraeus, Ansa news agency reported.
“I think that by the end of 2011
several districts in the western zone
could be handed over. Herat, for
example, is already a zone that could
be ready,” La Russa said at the meeting in an air force base in Milan in
northern Italy.

Petraeus said he was in favour of
talks between the Afghan government and the Taleban but stressed
the Taleban must renounce violence,
lay down their arms and cut ties with
Al-Qaeda, Ansa said, reporting his
comments in Italian. “Our objective
is to give back the territory to the
Afghan government and army so that
they can continue the action against
terrorism and launch a process of
normalisation of that territory,” La
Russa said.
After the end of 2011 “combat sol-

diers can be reduced but trainers will
remain. 2011 could be an important
year,” he added.
Petraeus, the top US commander
in Afghanistan, will join senior diplomats in Rome tomorrow for a meeting of the International Contact
Group on Afghanistan.The NATO
alliance, facing waning public support
for the war, is anxious to begin a
transition next year that would have
Afghan army and police taking over
from US-led troops in some parts of
the country. —AFP

hat would legalizing marijuana in
California,
America’s most populous
state, mean to the drug cartels whose fight for access
to American markets have
turned parts of Mexico into
war zones? Shrinking profits? Certainly. Less violence? Maybe. These topics
are being raised as the US
heads towards Nov 2 midterm elections which in
California include a ballot
initiative, Proposition 19,
providing for marijuana to
be treated like alcohol and
tobacco for Californians
over 21. A vote in favour
would end 73 years of prohibition and have enormous
political impact not only on
the rest of America but also
on the long-running global
war on drugs.
Experts on the issue
have been working overtime
and the latest of a string of
academic studies, out this
week, came from the RAND
Corporation, a Californiabased think tank. The voluminous paper is entitled:
Reducing Drug Trafficking
and Violence in Mexico Would Legalizing Marijuana
in California Help? The
study’s four authors, all
prominent authorities on
the illegal drug business,
hedged their answer. “Our
best guess,” they concluded,
“is that legalizing marijuana
production in California
would wipe out essentially
all DTO (Drug Trafficking
Organization)
marijuana
revenues
from
selling
Mexican
marijuana
to
California users; however,
the share of Mexican marijuana in the United States
that comes from Mexico to
California is no more than
one-seventh of all Mexican
imports.”
Note the word “guess.”
It stems from the fact that
most figures in the long
debate on the war on drugs
are estimates and many
have been manipulated for
ideological
purposes.
According
to
the
researchers, the drug cartels’ marijuana business in
the entire United States
could virtually evaporate if
high-quality marijuana from
California were diverted
from legal production and
smuggled to the rest of the
country.
And what effect would
that have on the Mexican
drug wars, in which the
death toll is nearing 30,000?
Again, a scholarly hedge,
given the difficulties in measuring the drug market and
its suppliers. Thus: “It is
unclear whether reductions
in Mexican DTOs’ revenues
would lead to corresponding
decrease in violence...The
effect of reducing DTO marijuana revenues on violence
is a matter of conjecture...
(and) could well change over
time.”
The reason for the academic caution is simple:
there’s no historic precedent
for what might happen in
California - one state making
legal a substance that
remains illegal elsewhere in
the country and the rest of
the world. It is not as
straightforward as the 1933

repeal of alcohol prohibition
which applied to the entire
country. The before-andafter sequence of lifting prohibition is so obvious that
the US Congress passed a
resolution on the 75th
anniversary of the repeal
noting that it had replaced a
“dramatic increase” in organized crime with “a transparent and accountable system of distribution and
sales” that generated billions of dollars in tax revenues and boosted the sick
economy.
While much of the debate
on the pros and cons of
Proposition 19 has centered
on economics, there is an
international policy dimension that weighs heavily in
Mexico. As former Mexican
foreign
minister
Jorge
Castaneda recently put it how can you have Mexicans
kill each other over trafficking a drug that is freely
available on the other side of
the border? If that happened,
it would be logical for
Mexico to legalize as well.
Would that end Mexico’s
violence? “No. But the
minute we start removing
some of the money the cartels make, then they have
less funds available to buy
guns, to buy people, to recruit
people, to do all sorts of
things.” Castaneda was talking about marijuana. Former
President Vicente Fox last
August went a step further
and proposed legalizing all
drugs “to break the economic
structure” of the drug cartels.
Fox’s successor, Felipe
Calderon, who launched the
war on drugs, deploying the
military, shortly after he was
elected in 2006, is opposed to
California’s
legalization
proposition and has publicly
complained about “a current
of opinion” portraying marijuana as a drug that is not
harmful. In his eyes, that’s
wrong and prohibition should
therefore stand. That puts
Calderon at odds with another of his predecessors,
Ernesto Zedillo, and two
more former Latin American
presidents from countries
that suffered from drug violence, Fernando Henrique
Cardoso of Brazil and Cesar
Gaviria of Colombia. In 2009,
they chaired a blue-ribbon
panel that rated the international drug war a failure and
urged governments to look
into “decriminalizing” marijuana, the world’s most widely used illicit drug.
This has been a growing
trend for several years as
attitudes towards marijuana
softened - and more people
around the world used it.
(According to the UN’s 2010
World Drug report, up to 191
million people used marijuana at least once in 2008).
Countries that have formally
decriminalized the herb’s use
include Argentina, Colombia,
Luxembourg,
Portugal,
Spain, the Netherlands and
Italy. No country, or jurisdiction, has gone as far as
Proposition 19 would take
California. Its passage, in a
state with 37 million people,
would probably prompt a host
of legal challenges. It would
also send a message to government drug warriors the
world over - you’ve been tilting at windmills. It’s time to
stop. —Reuters

All articles appearing on these pages are the
personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times
takes no responsibility for views expressed
therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice
their opinions. Please send submissions via
email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via
snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The
editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Gulf buying more arms but cooperation lags
By Mahmoud Habboush
ears of a threat from Iran are driving Gulf Arab nations to spend
billions on new arms, but that
investment can’t protect the Arabian
peninsula unless there is closer military
coordination and cooperation. Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
other states that make up the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected
to spend as much as $100 billion over the
next few years buying F-15 Eagles, F/A18 Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s
THAAD missile defence systems.
Last month, the United States
unveiled plans to sell Saudi Arabia up to
$60 billion in aircraft, helicopters and
other arms, a record deal in US arms
exports. The United Arab Emirates are
also expected to spend as much as $17
billion in coming years to buy an
advanced missile defence system and

F

fighter planes. “The procurements we’re
seeing are being focused particularly on
air and missile defence, on naval capabilities,” said Mark Thomas, deputy director of the Qatar office of the UK-based
Royal United Services Institute. “Iran
massively outnumbers Gulf states in
terms of manpower and missiles and the
best way to address that is through the
acquisition of high technology,” he said.
“The problem is there is a lack of coordination and collaboration between these
states, there isn’t a GCC military alliance
akin to NATO.”
Along with the US military, the
world’s top oil exporters have always had
a vested interest in protecting the flow of
oil. Gulf Arab states need to consider the
safety of their citizens and up-and-coming financial hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi
and Doha that have attracted billions in
foreign investment. They are increasingly nervous about a retaliatory attack

by Iran if it faces military action by Israel
or Western states over its nuclear program. Between 2002 and 2009, GCC
states have made arms deals worth nearly $66.9 billion. But analysts say spending alone isn’t the answer, and note that
past efforts to forge a collective security
framework were mostly futile.
Talk of coordination is not new. The
region failed to develop a long-sought
regional early warning network to detect
the Gulf’s most feared weapons: ballistic
and cruise missiles. US military officials
have argued that such a system, which
could be built by American contractors,
could serve as the nucleus for regional
military cooperation. But Gulf military
chiefs have not been enthusiastic about
setting up a system that would have so
much US involvement and require so
much cooperation with each other.
“Many countries either don’t have
money or don’t want to relinquish

national control... and think (one) country will dominate the system because it
has paid for it,” said Mustafa Alani, a
senior advisor and program director at
the Gulf Research Centre, adding that
the richer countries would end up bearing much of the cost for building the system. In 1986 the GCC created a 9,000strong Peninsula Shield force that was
based in Saudi Arabia. It took part in the
1991 Gulf war and was deployed in
Kuwait during the US-led invasion of
Iraq in 2003.
The council’s military chiefs decided
in 2008 to restructure the force by more
than doubling its troops, but ended its
presence in Saudi Arabia. Today, the unit
is not a serious factor in maintaining
regional stability. “It’s not functional,”
said Theodore Karasik, the director of
research and development at the
Institute for Near East and Gulf Military
Analysis. “They scrapped it in a semi-

quiet way because of the militaries’
inability to function together.” Lack of
political will caused by friction between
some of the royal families, Saudi Arabia’s
outsized presence and historical grievances all made military cooperation difficult, Karasik added.
No amount of acquisitions would
bring an end to an inherent strategic
imbalance in the Gulf, military analysts
say. Iran is far more populous than any of
its Arab neighbours. “Buying planes will
not change the balance of power,”
Mustafa Labad, director of Middle East
Centre for Regional and Strategic
Studies in Cairo, said. “It’s only useful in
the event of a land attack, which is not
expected.” In, fact, Labad suggests a different motive: “It serves as a political
message ... that there is a strategic
alliance in place that profits the US ... and
to the region’s states, to tell their people
not to panic.” —Reuters

Putin’s Russia: More vulnerable than it seems?
By Michael Stott
arge photographs of
happy young children
playing against brightly
coloured backgrounds decorate
a hoarding blocking off a central
Moscow square. Behind the
innocent-looking
billboards,
critics say, lies a hint of the fear
stalking Russia’s rulers. Their
worry? That the strong state
they cherish is more vulnerable
than it looks. Outwardly
Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a
tower of strength. The country’s undisputed ruler has spent
the past 10 years - first as president, then as prime minister consolidating power, beefing up
the state and building prosperity.
Opinion polls show that
Putin remains far more popular
than any other politician.
Russia’s opposition parties are
marginalised, fragmented and
weak. Critical voices are few.
The mainstream media are
relentlessly loyal. Putin’s press
chief Dmitry Peskov says the
prime minister inherited a country in ruins when he became
president in 2000 and has
presided over a steady build-up
in incomes. “The Prime
Minister continues to be a
workaholic,” he said. “He feels
responsible for all the processes
he launched...he uses the potential of the premiership 100 percent.”
Though he avoids commenting on the issue, Putin is widely
expected to return to the presidency at elections in 2012 for a
fresh six-year term. Olga
Kryshtanovskaya, an expert on
the Russian elite and member of
the ruling United Russia party,
estimates the odds of a third
Putin presidency at 70 percent.

L

Aided by supportive media, the
benefits of office and a lack of
credible opponents, the former
KGB agent is likely to win an
overwhelming victory, shunting
aside his loyal junior partner in
the ruling “tandem”, President
Dmitry Medvedev.
Russian business leaders and
officials already describe the
2012 election as “completely
predictable” - in their eyes a
positive thing, because they fear
sudden change. Stability is the
mantra repeated time and again
by the prime minister and his
supporters. They hail the stability Putin has given Russia, the
order he has imposed on its
once-turbulent politics and its
economy, which crashed in 1998
but limped through the 2008/9
crisis without a currency collapse, a run on banks or mass
unemployment.
Putin justifies his political
legacy - the scrapping of elected
mayors and governors, the
democratic opposition pushed
out of parliament and curbs on
the media - as necessary to
avoid a “Ukrainian scenario” Kremlin code for chaos. State
news channel Rossiya 24 runs a
regular item at the end of news
bulletins
called
“Without
Commentary”, often featuring
footage of riots, disasters, misery or disorder in a foreign land.
The subliminal message: life is
better in Russia.
But if Russia is so stable,
critics ask, why did Moscow
authorities erect the hoarding
featuring the young children allegedly for the construction of
a previously unannounced
underground car park - and
block off the Mayakovsky
square which was a venue for
monthly protests by rights
activists? Why, opposition jour-

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (left) meets Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday. —AFP
nalists ask, do phalanxes of
Moscow riot police supported
by dogs regularly break up small
opposition demonstrations and
drag participants off to waiting
vans, even though only a few
hundred people turn up?
Why does the Kremlin’s
political mastermind, deputy
chief of staff Vladislav Surkov,
ensure overwhelming victories
for Putin’s United Russia party in
almost every municipal, regional
and national election, even when
it damages Russia’s image? Why
is Putin’s image so carefully burnished by his minders, with the
premier appearing in tightly
scripted and amply broadcast
encounters with rappers, intellectuals, car workers, fire-fighters, Pacific grey whales and
Arctic Polar bears? Peskov says
that Putin wants to be a “socially

oriented Prime Minister with a
socially oriented budget” but
there are other ways of explaining Putin’s populism. “Putin’s
high rating doesn’t mean there is
such a great love for him,” Lev
Gudkov, the head of Russia’s
leading independent opinion pollster Levada Centre said. “It’s
more a lack of alternatives and a
general indifference.”
Russia has other worries too.
Constant official boasting about
military might hides, analysts
say, the reality: the country’s
Soviet-era military remains
woefully under-trained and
under-equipped for modern
warfare. The economy, despite
constant pronouncements about
the need for diversification and
modernisation, still depends
almost entirely on volatile raw
material prices. The same goes

for government revenues.
Ironically, Putin’s obsession
with stability and his tight control of Russia may have created
a blind alley from which the
country cannot easily escape.
“Putin is the ultimate arbiter
and the whole system depends
on him,” one Western ambassador says. “It cannot function
properly without him and that is
a major risk in the long term.”
Russia’s business elite feel
the same way. “Putin is an enormously skilful operator,” one
oligarch said, speaking on condition he was not identified. “You
always leave a meeting with him
feeling completely satisfied,
feeling he is totally on your side.
Later you find out how far he
actually agreed with you.”
Many believe Putin’s choice
in 2008 of his long-term ally

Medvedev as his successor was
a deliberate attempt to set
Russia on a path to faster economic reform, more efficient
government and to make the
country more appealing to foreign investors. But although he
has achieved a “reset” of relations with the United States, at
home Medvedev has so far failed
to deliver much more than good
intentions, critics say. And if
Putin returns to the Kremlin in
2012 for up to two six-year
terms, detractors say Russia’s
political system could ossify to a
point where an orderly handover
of power in 2024 - when Putin
will turn 72 - becomes almost
impossible. Comparisons with
the “era of stagnation” in the
1970s under ageing former
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev
are already multiplying in
Russian opposition media.
What are the alternatives?
The main officially tolerated
opposition, the Communists, are
gradually dying out and there is
virtually no constituency in
Russia for Western-style liberal
democracy.
This
leads
observers such as author Dmitry
Bykov to conclude that if Putin’s
system is unable to reform itself
from the top down, then the
country could fall prey to farright extremism. As the editor of
one major state broadcaster puts
it: “The only political force in
Russia today which has the
strength and the national organisation to challenge Putin is the
far right.” A former ambassador
in Moscow from a Western
power sums it up: “You may
think Putin is anti-Western and
hostile to free markets. But he is
far more liberal than a lot of the
people who stand behind him.
Be careful for what you wish
for.” —Reuters

analysis

sunday, October 17, 2010

13

Chile’s Pinera basks in glow of rescue
By Hugh Bronstein

C

hile and its billionaire President
Sebastian Pinera have both burnished their images with the
flawlessly executed rescue of 33 miners trapped deep underground for more
than two months. Already respected by
investors looking for opportunities in
largely left-leaning South America,
Chile’s reputation for efficiency was
enhanced by the technically complicated rescue operation on Wednesday.
Pinera, 60, a credit card and airline
magnate who took office in March for a
four-year term as Chile’s first conservative president in two decades, is basking in the glow of success. “Chile is not
the same country that it was 69 days
ago,” he said, beaming, after greeting
and hugging each of the miners lifted to
safety in a metal capsule through a long
shaft. “We are more respected.”
The final rescue, which took less
than 24 hours after weeks spent digging an escape shaft hundreds of
meters down to the miners, was
viewed by hundreds of millions of people around the world and sparked celebrations throughout Chile. Pinera’s
approval rating surged to a new high in
August for his efforts to rescue the
men when they were first located alive
17 days after the mine caved in. His
handling of the crisis helped him push
through a bill to raise royalties paid by
mining companies in the world’s top
copper producer. The increased royalties are to help fund reconstruction
after a devastating February earthquake.
The lower house of Congress
approved the royalty bill on
Wednesday, as the rescue was underway, in a major political victory for
Pinera. Any boost to Pinera’s approval
ratings may be short lived, said
Carolina Segovia, a pollster at
Santiago-based think-tank Centro de
Estudios Publicos. “Rally-around-theflag issues like this one usually have a
short shelf life,” she said. “Long-running issues such as the economy and
crime will dictate his popularity, and by
extension his clout in Congress, over
the long term.”
Pinera’s next test in the legislature

M

edia reports of highlevel talks between
the Taleban and
Afghan government may serve
Western military aims by sowing confusion and undermining
trust among insurgents, analysts and diplomats say. A flurry
of reports of negotiations,
preparations for negotiations
and even clandestine meetings
in the Afghan capital may reflect
a growing willingness by both
sides in recent months to contemplate some kind of dialogue.
But coming as NATO-led forces
make a push on the Taliban’s
spiritual heartland, the stories
may - intentionally or unintentionally -further military aims.
“I had email contact with a
Taleban on the other side (of the

F

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera (first row, dark suit) poses with the 33 miners rescued from the depths of the San Jose mine at the
hospital in Copiapo, 800 km north of Santiago, Oct 14, 2010. —AFP
will be passage of his 2011 budget proposal. Lawmakers will debate the proposal this month. “The rescue should
have a very positive effect on Pinera.
It showed an incredible amount of seriousness in terms of patience, planning
and resources, which underscores
Chile as a member of the developed
world,” said Walter Molano, head of
research at BCP Securities in
Greenwich, Connecticut. “I do not
know that it will have an immediate
impact on investment, but it will have a
lasting impact on the way that the
world perceives Chile,” Molano added.
Leaders who fumble crises like
these often pay a high political price.
Then U.S. President George W Bush
was accused of a sluggish response to
Hurricane Katrina, which pushed his
approval rating down by more than 10

border) and he rejected the contact or talks, but at the same time
spoke about the confusion,” said
Waheed Mozhdah, an analyst and
former Taleban official who is
still in touch with members of
the movement. “This is more of
the psychological war against the
Taleban,” he added, referring to
the impact of the reports on trust
within the group.
A senior NATO official said
on Wednesday that NATO-led
forces were facilitating contacts
between senior Taleban officials
and the Afghan government and
allowing them safe passage for
talks in Kabul. A senior
Pakistani official familiar with
the contacts between the Karzai
government and Taleban on
Thursday also acknowledged a
shift in attitudes. “The process
has been set into motion. It’s

points after the disaster. US President
Barack Obama’s ratings sank by seven
points for what some saw as his failure
to act decisively after the BP oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico. And in Pakistan,
President Asif Ali Zardari’s decision to
continue with a planned trip to Europe
in spite of the monsoons that left millions of people homeless prompted
vicious criticism at home. Pinera’s
response to the miners has done the
opposite.
The mine’s collapse on Aug 5
shocked Chile and unveiled the underbelly of its mining industry, which had
made significant improvements in safety standards. Pinera fired the government’s chief mining regulator, moved
to strengthen safety laws and increased
regulation of Chile’s coal mines in the
south to the Atacama desert in the

north, where the ill-fated San Jose gold
and copper mine is located. Serious
mining accidents are rare in Chile, but
the government said the San Jose mine
had suffered a series of accidents and
that 16 workers were killed in recent
years.
Pinera ordered a “vast restructuring” of the state mining agency and was
quick to seek out world class experts to
get involved in the rescue operation,
consulting U.S. space agency NASA
and drawing on the expertise of miners,
geologists and drillers at Chile’s state
copper giant Codelco and beyond. The
result was an engineering feat that hypnotized the world as engineers located
the miners with a drill hole about as
wide as a grapefruit, enabling them to
send down food and water to keep them
alive. Then came the next challenge:

widening the duct to send down a capsule just big enough to hoist out one
man at a time. The rescue prompted
praise from many foreign leaders from
Obama to Venezuela’s firebrand leftist
President Hugo Chavez, who called to
congratulate Pinera.
Alberto Ramos, an analyst at
Goldman Sachs, said the saga would
have little impact in terms of pulling in
new investment but added that Chile
was already an attractive market and
the competence with which it handled
the rescue underlines how well organized and efficient the country is. It
also allowed Pinera to demonstrate he
is not just an effective businessman and
politician, Ramos said. “This has certainly helped President Pinera’s popularity as it was the opportunity to show
his human, caring side.” —Reuters

just the beginning and this in
itself is a success because earlier there has been opposition (by
Americans) to such contacts,”
he said. “These are pretty
senior level contacts ... They
are those who are involved in
putting up resistance. Those
who are fighting.”
Like officials and sources
quoted in other recent stories
about talks, both NATO and
Pakistani officials requested
anonymity. A spokesman for
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
declined to comment on the
reports. There is increasing
acknowledgement
in
Afghanistan and abroad that a
decisive military victory for the
West and the Afghan government it backs is unlikely, and an
eventual political solution may
be the best way to end the fight-

ing. But rumours and nebulous
stories about plans to talk can
often undermine unity in insurgent groups, making rank-andfile members wary of their leaders, and leaders wary of each
other.
A Kabul-based diplomat laid
out the military benefits of talks
for the top NATO and US commander in Afghanistan David
Petraeus, saying foot soldiers
who hear news of talks may
become mutinous-or at least
less willing to risk their lives in
battle.
NATO’s
apparent
embrace of a move towards
talks could send a message to
wavering insurgents that they
have an opponent who is serious
about looking to sit down and
make a deal. “This has a major
propaganda component. NATO
is trying to pass on a message to

the Taleban leaders that it can
play a role in reconciliation ‘if
you are ready’,” said Ahmad
Saeedi, a former diplomat to
Pakistan.
But sowing discord among
the enemy just as you are trying
to hammer them on the battlefield could also be aimed at pressuring them to come to the table
faster. A senior former Taleban
official now living in Kabul and
in contact with the movement’s
leaders has in the past told
Reuters that the one vital condition for successful talks is
secrecy. The Taleban appear
well aware of the risks of any
move towards talks. In a statement this week spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the
reports as “baseless propaganda
... part and parcel of a regular
psychological warfare of the

enemy”. He promised foot soldiers there would be no “trade
on your blood and sacrifices by
reaching any clandestine deal”.
The veiled identity of most
people willing to talk on the subject is compounded by the vague
nature of most accounts of who
is involved, and from which factions. A report from NATO-led
forces this week announced the
capture of a “Taleban senior
leader” in southern Afghanistan
who commanded 20 men, a small
group for a movement estimated
to be thousands of fighters
strong. If those travelling to talk
in Kabul are at a similar “senior”
level, they may just be disgruntled local commanders seeking
cash or an exit from a conflict
they have tired of, analysts say,
instead of its ideologically-driven core. —Reuters

In US election, Afghan war not on voters’ mind
By David Alexander
and John Whitesides

N

ine years into one of the longest
wars in US history, conflictweary Americans are on the
verge of electing a new Congress with
barely a whisper of debate about the
ongoing struggle in Afghanistan. While a
few candidates like former Army Green
Beret Tommy Sowers and ex-combat
pilot Adam Kinzinger address the conflict
in their campaigns for the Nov 2 midterm
elections, surveys show very few voters
see the Afghanistan war as a concern.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found
that Americans rated Afghanistan bottom
of a list of seven issues that Congress
should deal with in 2011. “There should
at least be a debate going on. It’s time to
get out of those countries,” David
Kramer, a retired steel mill worker, said
recently while shopping at a mall in
Lorain, Ohio. “Every week we’re burying
another soldier,” he added. “We can’t be
the world’s policemen, we have to end
it.” President Barack Obama opposed the
Iraq war as a candidate in 2008 but he has
boosted US troop levels in Afghanistan to
95,000. His course in Afghanistan sits
easier with Republicans than it does with
the more liberal wing of his own
Democrats. “You can really understand
why neither party is talking a lot about
it,” said Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion
analyst at the American Enterprise
Institute think tank. “For the president,
it’s a negative with his own party, which
is why you don’t hear him talking about
it,” she said. But Republicans “are not
displeased with Obama” on the war.
The lack of voter concern about the
war ahead of these elections is far different from four years ago, when thenPresident George W Bush’s Republicans
lost control of Congress in large part from
discontent over the Iraq war. If Obama’s
Democrats lose control of one or both
houses of Congress on Nov 2 - a real pos-

A Marine Corp carry team places the transfer case containing the remains of Marine
Lance Cpl Phillip Vinnedge, 19, into a transfer vehicle at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware
on Friday. Vinnedge died Oct 13 while conducting combat operations in Helmand
province, Afghanistan. —AP
sibility - the reason is more likely to be
voter anger over the economy, high
unemployment and the massive government bailout of Wall Street. Progress in
Afghanistan has been slow for US forces.
After being driven from power when the
war began in Oct 2001, the Taleban
regrouped and reasserted itself while the
Bush administration focused on Iraq.
Obama’s decision to boost troop levels this year has halted Taleban momentum after a tough summer of combat, US
officials say. But the war will not be won
on the battlefield and a political reconciliation - still in its infancy - is the only way
out, they add. The war entered its 10th
year on Oct 7, becoming by some counts

the longest in US history. Formal US
involvement in Vietnam, a far bloodier
conflict, lasted 8 1/2 years. But experts
point out US involvement actually was
much longer, and some Indian wars in the
United States lasted longer than 10
years. Few candidates have made
Afghanistan a recurring theme in their
campaigns. Sowers, a Missouri Democrat
and former Green Beret trying to unseat
a longtime Republican incumbent, sells
camouflage ball caps to raise money and
speaks about the war. “I’d be the only
Green Beret in Congress,” he said in a
debate on Monday. “I’d use that stature
to end these wars, bring our troops home
and invest here in rural America.”

Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican trying to
unseat a Democratic incumbent, weaves
his personal story into campaign appearances - how he joined the Air Force after
Sept 11 and has flown missions in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
But many candidates are not pushing
the war issue. As of Thursday, Ike
Skelton, the Missouri Democrat who
heads the House of Representatives
Armed Services Committee, hadn’t
updated the Afghanistan page on his campaign website for months. It still referred
to General Stanley McChrystal, ousted in
June, as if he led US forces in
Afghanistan. Ken Ammann, a local
Democratic official in Mercer County,

Pennsylvania, said the war had not been
discussed on the campaign trail because
Republicans generally back Obama’s
approach, even while opposing his July
2011 date for beginning to pull troops out
of the country. “People should be talking
about it,” Ammann said while attending a
local pumpkin festival parade. “We have
people dying over there when we should
not even be there.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a
recent speech at Duke University in
North Carolina, put his finger on one reason the war is not provoking debate - few
people are affected. “No major war in our
history has been fought with a smaller
percentage of this country’s citizens in
uniform full-time,” Gates said. There are
2.4 million people, less than 1 percent of
the population, serving in the military and
reserves. “For most Americans the wars
remain an abstraction, a distant and
unpleasant series of news items that do
not affect them personally,” he said.
Michael O’Hanlon, a national security
analyst at the Brookings Institution think
tank, said the fact the war is not an election issue is “actually healthy”. “What it
essentially acknowledges is that people
realize is it’s a new strategy. It may work,
it may not work ... but to develop this
new strategy, see whether it’s going to
work or not, is going to take a little
longer,” he said. But if Obama doesn’t
make significant progress toward stabilizing Afghanistan and bringing US troops
home over the next two years, that
patience could wear out.
Voters have their sights set on his
pledge to begin withdrawing US forces,
as conditions permit, next summer, and
failure to meet that could turn Obama’s
re-election campaign into a test of voter
opinion on the war. “This election is not
being treated as a referendum on
Afghanistan policy because it’s sort of the
wrong moment to do that,” O’Hanlon
said. “It doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way ...
in 2012.” —Reuters

or the first time in the
nine-year
war
in
Afghanistan, all the main
parties involved - from the government to insurgents, from
Washington to Pakistan, are
seriously considering ways of
trying to reach a peace deal.
Official sources from different
countries interviewed by
Reuters say current “talks
about talks” are fragile, preliminary and liable to break down at
any time. “The outcome is not
in sight at the moment,” said
one official involved in talks
about Afghanistan, “but we can
say that the political process has
been set into motion.”
All three main insurgent
groups - the Afghan Taleban led
by Mullah Omar, the Haqqani
network and the Hizb-ul-Islami
Gulbuddin (HiG) led by
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - are
involved in informal talks on
how to open a more structured
peace process. Significantly,
non-US
sources
say
Washington has given a far
higher level of endorsement to
talks with insurgents - held
either by Afghans or through
third parties - than before. “The
thing that’s changed this time
round is the American knowledge of what is going on and an
increased appetite from the
actual insurgency to engage,”
said a UN source with knowledge of the talks. “The
Americans are not sure
whether to call it endorsement
or engagement,” said one nonAmerican
official.
“Nevertheless they are now
convinced about the utility of
engagement.”
Washington has acknowledged the need for an eventual
political settlement as a war
increasingly unpopular at home
drags into its tenth year. On
Thursday NATO SecretaryGeneral
Anders
Fogh
Rasmussen told a news conference on Thursday that the
alliance was willing to facilitate
talks - although it was important
to keep up military pressure on
militants. Despite the strength
of the Taleban, who have a
foothold in more of the country
than any time since 2001, the
US focus is still on the reintegration of individual fighters and
commanders, to try to split the
insurgency rather than broader
reconciliation or power-sharing,
a said another non-US official.
The sources, however, also
speak of a parallel, lengthy and
fluid reconciliation process of
trying to agree the ground rules
under which all Afghan factions
could be brought together into
peace talks with the help of
regional
players.
While

Washington and Pakistan are at least in part - working together on this, various other countries including the United Arab
Emirates, were cited as possible mediators. “It’s a team
effort,” said another source with
knowledge of the talks, adding
there were mediators from
Saudi,
Pakistan
and
Afghanistan, and a role was also
being played by Turkey.
Some sources speak of a
greater willingness by Pakistan
to compromise on finding a
peace settlement in Afghanistan
to end a war which is increasingly threatening its own stability.
Islamabad is currently
accused of covertly backing
some insurgents to counter the
influence of India in its neighbour. “We don’t insist on a stable and friendly Afghanistan,”
said one Pakistani security official. “‘Friendly’ you can interpret in your own way. We have
gone down to peace and stability.”
One senior western official
in Kabul also said there
appeared to be a change in tone
in conversations with Pakistan’s
military, unnerved by radicalisation in the country’s heartland
Punjab. That area is ethnically
distinct from the restive tribal
regions where most Afghan
insurgents shelter, and had earlier been relatively peaceful.
That has forced its InterServices Intelligence (ISI)
agency to work more with other
parties in trying to nudge insurgents - many of whom use
Pakistan as a safe base - into
talks. One source close to the
talks said it was clear Pakistan
had the power to destroy the
process if it wanted to, but
equally Pakistan recognised it
could not create a settlement on
its own.
As for the insurgent leaders
who publicly reject talks,
President Barack Obama’s commitment last December to start
bringing some troops home in
July 2011 has already gone
some way to meeting their
demand for a withdrawal of foreign troops. Official sources say
they could now perhaps be persuaded to accept a timeline for
withdrawal. The details of this
are likely to be a major issue of
dispute, but Obama’s commitment, combined with pressure
from Pakistan and a fear that
without a political settlement
Afghanistan could descend into
anther bitter civil war, is seen
as underpinning a willingness to
engage in talks. “All three guerrilla groups (the Afghan
Taleban, the Haqqanis and the
HiG) have to come to the negotiating table,” said one official.
“Otherwise they will not qualify
as stakeholders. —Reuters

Seeking ‘least painful’
UK austerity formula
By Christina Fincher

T

aking the axe to pension
benefits rather than jobs,
and cutting bureaucracy
rather than infrastructure
investment, are what Britain’s
austerity drive should focus on
to render the smallest hit to
economic growth. If finance
minister George Osborne is to
achieve the £83 billion ($133
billion) of spending cuts he
promised in his June budget
some degree of economic pain
is inevitable. But economists
say how hard Britain’s growth
potential is hit will ultimately
depend not just on the figures
but also the profile of the cuts:
how they are spread and how
much of the burden is borne by
the welfare state.
Judging by the drip-feed of
announcements ahead of next
week’s
Comprehensive
Spending Review, Britain’s
five-month-old coalition government has taken heed. In the
past two weeks it has
announced cuts to pension tax
relief, a cull of publicly-funded
regulatory bodies and the end
of universal child benefit payments. Those measures indicate a direction of travel they
represent only a small part of
the overall austerity program.
Although Wednesday’s statement will not detail every project that has been pared or
abandoned, it will shape views
on how likely the government
is to achieve its debt-cutting
goals and whether recovery
will be blown off course in the
process.
For each pound spent, different areas of government

expenditure have a different
impact on GDP growth - something economists know as the
domestic multiplier effect.
These calculations are theoretical but they throw up some
interesting thoughts on what
an “ideal” austerity package
should look like, at least from
the point of view of GDP
growth. Construction projects,
which tend to be labour intensive and require few imports,
score highly on the multiplier
scorecard. The same goes for
infrastructure
investment,
which has the added benefit of
improving productivity.
Britain’s independent Office
for Budget Responsibility estimates every pound of capital
spending by the government
boosts gross domestic product
by exactly that amount, while
every pound spent on welfare
generates just 60 pence. When
it comes to the public sector
payroll, savings from pensions
and wage restraint are far less
damaging to an economy’s
growth potential than job cuts
which often result in costly
redundancy payments and a
higher welfare bill. “If I had to
give two recommendations it
would be not to cut capital
spending so much and to try to
find ways of minimising public
sector jobs losses,” said John
Hawskworth, head of macroeconomics at consultancy
PWC. “The private sector was
flexible with regard to pay and
working hours during the
recession and this meant
unemployment did not rise as
much as feared. We need to see
the same happen now in the
public sector.” —Reuters

Chile miners struggle
with newfound fame
COPIAPO, Chile: Chile’s miners plunged into a
weekend of neighborhood barbecues and welcome
home celebrations yesterday, trying to regain a
more normal footing but hounded by their fame as
survivors. “This isn’t right,” miner Victor Segovia
said when he went home to find a crowd of camera-toting news crews waiting, according to an
account in the newspaper La Tercera. “We are
nobodies. We are only simple people who survived,” he was quoted as saying.
After being pronounced in good health, all but
two of the 33 miners rescued this week after nearly 10 weeks deep underground in a collapsed gold
and copper mine were back home. Regional health
director Paola Neumann said the two remaining
miners, who were not named, had been transferred to other clinics for more treatment, one for
dental surgery, the other suffering from spells of
vertigo. A group of 28 miners were driven discreetly from the hospital in the northern mining
town of Copiapo on Friday without stopping to
speak to the horde of journalists camped outside
hoping for interviews. “What they are facing in the
week to come is very difficult,” said Health
Minister Jaime Manalich.
Nevertheless, the gritty mining town of
Copiapo erupted into wild celebration as neighbors
and relatives popped champagne corks and threw
confetti to welcome back Juan Illanes, Edison
Pena, and the sole Bolivian, Carlos Mamani. As he
worked his way through the crowd at the hospital
entrance, Pena, a self-confessed Elvis fan who ran
miles every day in the mine gallery to stay fit,
said: “We are not pop stars or anything, we’re just
ordinary people.”

But for these tough men a new world of opportunity awaits and a chance to turn their fear and
despair into profit, perhaps even riches beyond
their wildest dreams, if book deals and Hollywood
film rights come. Some could take up immediate
offers to holiday in Greece or visit top European
football clubs. Pena has been invited to tour Elvis’s
Graceland home, but Illanes had another destination in mind. “I want to achieve my dream of going
to Miami,” the 52-year-old mechanic and former
soldier told AFP, before giving brief insights into
his experience trapped in the bowels of the dark,
dank San Jose mine. “The confinement was terrible,” he said. “The first 17 days were a nightmare.
Then everything changed. But the hardest thing
was to be down there. Buried for two months.”
The men were trapped on Aug 5 by a huge rock
collapse inside the mine and they had been almost
given up for dead before a probe sent down through
a narrow bore hole struck lucky on Aug 22. In that
agonizing interim, when each man had to make do
with a tiny spoonful of tinned tuna or salmon each
day, they faced the mounting terror they would die
in the mine. “We were waiting for death,” miner
Richard Villarroel said as he was interviewed by
Britain’s Guardian newspaper, The Washington
Post and local Chilean media. “We were wasting
away. We were so skinny. I lost 26 pounds. I was
afraid of not meeting my baby, who is on the way.
That was what I was most waiting for.” Once the
rescue effort began the men could finally joke about
some of their darkest fears, including cannibalism,
Villarroel said. “Once help came it became a topic
of joking, but only once it was over, once they
found us.”—Agencies

TATEV, Armenia: Armenia yesterday
launched the world’s longest cable car
line, a 5.7-km engineering feat that
spans a spectacular gorge to the country’s ancient Tatev monastery. Gathered
in Armenia’s southern mountains near
the border with Iran, guests including
President Serzh Sarkisian and the head
of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Karekin II, took part as the cable car
link launched its first official voyage
over the Vorotan River Gorge. The link
will allow year-round access to
Armenia’s ninth-century Tatev
monastery complex, one of the country’s most important religious centres
and a major tourist attraction.
At the opening ceremony, Sarkisian
said the link was of “exceptional importance for Tatev and the surrounding
region” and praised the project for overcoming the many difficulties involved in
construction. “This cable car line shows
that even dreams that seem unrealistic
can be realised with faith and purpose,”
he said. Karekin II said the launch of the
link was an important step in restoring
access to “a centuries-old holy shrine
which was a place of pilgrimage from
apostolic times”. “Through its beauty
and stunning construction the
monastery at Tatev is among the exceptional creations of Armenian architecture which for centuries has been a
vibrant centre of Armenian spiritual life,
science and culture,” he said.
The reversible cable car line cost $18
million with much of the funding coming
from private donations, according to the
National Competitiveness Foundation of
Armenia, which oversaw the project. It
runs from the village of Halidzor near a
highway connecting the Armenian capital Yerevan to the village of Tatev, within
walking distance of the monastery. The
cable car travels at a speed of 37 km per
hour and a one-way journey takes 11
minutes. At its highest point over the
gorge, the car travels 320 m above
ground level. It has two cabins, each
capable of carrying up to 25 passengers.
Local residents will be able to ride the
cable car for free while others will have
to pay 3,000 Armenian drams (eight dollars)
An impoverished ex-Soviet republic bordering Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan
and Georgia, Armenia is keen to develop
its tourism industry, showcasing its his-

from the mine, leaving the four men
stuck some 150 m below ground in the
Casa Negra mine. A government crisis
committee said rescuers had managed to
remove enough of the rock and earth
blocking the tunnel to “inject air into the
area where the miners are” through two
access holes. News that the men were
trapped came shortly after Chile completed its historic, successful rescue of 33
miners who had been stuck underground
in the San Jose mine for a record period of
nearly 10 weeks.
Emergency workers and officials in
Ecuador acknowledged yesterday they
had not been able to make contact with
the men and were unable to confirm
whether any or all of them were alive or
had been injured in the accident. “Up until
now, we have had no communication
whatsoever,” deputy mining minister
Jorge Espinosa told AFP. President Rafael
Correa said an electronic probe with a
camera was being flown by helicopter to
the mine to see if it could be used to make
contact with the miners.

Authorities have named the missing
men as group leader Walter Vera, his
brother Angel Vera, Pedro Mendoza, and
Paul Aguirre. Espinosa stressed that “the
rescue work is continuing as planned and
we are very close to reaching” the area
where the miners are thought to be
trapped. Officials “have great hope that
the miners are alive,” he added. “We
think that there is sufficient space for
them to survive.”
The local civil defense office was more
circumspect in its assessment of the situation. “The mine does not contain any
internal communications system and so
we cannot confirm if they are alive,” said
local coordinator Marco Reinoso. Reinoso
told AFP earlier that rescue workers were
proceeding on two fronts one to get oxygen to the trapped men, and the other to
tunnel an escape route for the four miners. On the second front, “we have gotten
through five meters and we have three
more to go” to reach the men through the
rocks and earth that have blocked their
exit, said Fabian Garces, an engineer with
Minesadco, the Ecuadoran company that
owns the mine.

Maria del Pilar Cornejo, a government
risk management official, said from the
scene that it would take at least another
24 hours to reach the men because more
than 200 tons of rock and earth must be
removed. The men are trapped at the fifth
level of the mine, and are believed to be in
a gallery about 60 m wide and two meters
high. The gold and silver mine employs
around 100 people. It is located close to
the town of Portovelo in El Oro province,
some 405 km from the capital Quito, near
Ecuador’s border with Peru.
As rescue workers resumed their work
yesterday, they filed before an image of
the patron saint of miners, removing their
helmets and crossing themselves, asking
for protection and success. Nearby, relatives of the four men waited anxiously for
any news of their loved ones. “We trust
God, because with God nothing is impossible,” said Filomena, the aunt of Walter
and Angel Vera. Alicia Reyes, another relative of the Vera brothers, said she had
begun to “fear the worst”. “It’s been more
than 24 hours they’ve been down there,”
she said. “We keep hoping, but so far
nothing.” — AFP

Somalia surprise: Working govt, no gunfire
Continued from Page 1
delegation from the UN, EU, World
Bank and African Development Bank earlier this week. A six-storey cement building
dominates this city’s skyline. Once completed, it will house the headquarters of a
money transfer company that operates in
144 countries.
Yet Somaliland is bathed in poverty.
Huts fashioned from scrap metal and
wrapped in plastic sheeting dot the capital,
crammed full of the internally displaced.
Rusted cars are heaped in a jumble.
Discarded plastic bags snag on cacti growing in the sandy ground. Goats and sheep
wander the streets, seeking shade from
the afternoon sun. Since his June election,
Silanyo has tapped Somaliland’s diaspora to
recruit US- and British-educated technocrats to run the country. He slashed the
size of his Cabinet, instilling confidence in
the international community about the way
he will run Somaliland, an area the size of
North Carolina with 3.5 million people.
The successful election and the new
government’s serious approach merit
increased attention, said Mark Bowden,
the top UN humanitarian representative
for Somalia. Somaliland became independent in 1960 before joining Somalia only
days later. Because no country has yet recognized its 1991 declaration of re-independence, the world community sees it as part
of Somalia. Business leaders at a trade fair
in Hargeisa this week said the lack of
recognition creates impediments to economic growth: No access to credit, high
insurance rates on imported shipping,
severely restricted ability to travel.
Despite the poverty and restrictions, the
government has capable, educated leaders
who are infusing the town with a can-do

spirit.
Dahabshiil, the money transfer company building the six-storey headquarters,
facilitates the transfer of $1 billion from
Somaliland’s overseas diaspora. And many
of those diaspora’s leaders are returning
here. Hussein Bulhan, a Harvard-educated
former professor at Boston University, is
the president of Hargeisa University. He
believes the US should take notice and
invest more. “Following Sept 11, the focus
has become fighting terrorism,” said
Bulhan. “Too much focus has been put into
putting out fires instead of building the
peace.”
Johnnie Carson, the top US diplomat for
Africa, announced last month that the US is
trying a new, two-track approach to
Somalia that will see continued support of
the Mogadishu government but also direct
engagement with Somaliland and neighboring Puntland, another autonomous region.
More American diplomats and aid workers
will travel to Somaliland, Carson said.
USAID, the US government aid arm, dedicated $7 million to Somaliland in fiscal year
2009. In 2010 that number is rising to $26
million. “Where you have pockets of stability and pockets of people willing to actively
contribute to develop the country as a
whole, it just makes sense to develop their
capacity,” said a US Embassy spokesman in
Kenya who was not allowed to be identified
because of State Department rules.
Bowden, the UN official, said
Somaliland gets about $80 million to $100
million a year in aid money, but that the
number could double. Somaliland’s trade
fair highlighted the region’s soap makers,
tile makers and university offerings. Saeed
Odugheal, 40, grew up in Britain but now
owns a water bottling company here.
“Somaliland is Africa’s best kept secret,”

new hotels and new jobs and so that the
young people who have been leaving for
Russia or other countries will instead
stay home and work here,” said Armais
Minosian, an 80-year-old local villager.
The cable car is part of a $50-million
public-private effort to develop tourism
at Tatev and in the surrounding region,
one of the traditional 15 provinces of the

ancient Kingdom of Armenia. The project has also seen the government renovate 26 km of the highway from Yerevan
to Tatev and the restoration of parts of
the monastery complex. The Sandia
Peak cable car in the US state of New
Mexico, which runs 4.3 km, had previously billed itself as the world’s longest
cable car line. — AFP

OMAHA, Nebraska: A two-month-old male Francois langur monkey is held tight while
being groomed by his mother, Lynn, at the Henry Doorly Zoo Friday. Francois langurs are
leaf-eating monkeys found in tropical Asia. They are born bright orange, and darken as
they mature. — AP

US women soldiers to get new uniforms

Work on to reach 4 Ecuador miners
Continued from Page 1

tory as the first country to have adopted
Christianity. Residents said they hoped
the new link would help restore the
economy of the local area, which like
much of rural Armenia has suffered from
deep poverty and an exodus of young
people looking elsewhere for work. “I
hope the opening of this cable car will
help revive tourism so that there are

he said. “What I want to see is a hell of a
lot more development money. People talk
about creating a democracy. This is a
democracy. It’s only right to support a
country like that.”
Carson said the US will not recognize
Somaliland as independent because the
African Union will not do so. Somaliland
Foreign Minister Mohamed A Omar
acknowledged that the AU is afraid that if
Somaliland is recognized, other regions
might clamor for the same. But he said
Somaliland’s situation is unique. “We are
not starting a new nation. We have been a
nation before,” said Omar, who holds a doctorate in political science from Britain’s
University of Birmingham. “We voluntarily
joined with Somalia in 1960. We are withdrawing from that union.”
Omar said the region would like to
share intelligence with the West and
receive more direct security aid, adding
that the region has a strong record of fighting piracy and terrorism. Hargeisa was hit
by a suicide bomb attack in 2008.
“Somaliland has been attacked by terrorists not only because they hate us, what I
think what they are attacking is the principles and values we stand for, which is
democracy,” Omar said. “These are universal values that have been attacked. We
need universal support and universal
defense in order to defend those values.”
Somaliland’s minister of mining, energy and water resources traded a six-figure
job in Los Angeles for his new role. He
said without $40 million in repairs,
Hergeisa’s water system could collapse.
The minister, Hussein Abdi Dualeh, urged
the international community to switch its
focus from Mogadishu to Somaliland.
“The aid we get here won’t be torn up by
shrapnel,” he said. — AP

Continued from Page 1
when having well-fitting clothing in
extreme environments can suddenly prove
critical. The woman’s ACU is “definitely a
first for the army,” said Mary Harwood, a
so-called human factors engineer for the
US Army who played a key role in the difficult but key changes to the khaki and digitized camouflage uniforms. They have
made “adjustments to fit the anthropomorphic measurement of the body”, she
added.
What women troops will find is a garment far more accommodating of the
female form. Among the key changes are

the addition of vents in back that provide
space for a woman’s bust; narrowing of the
shoulders; replacement of trouser drawstrings with elastic waistbands; adjustment of waist-to-hip ratios; and alterations
to the front and back rise. Or, as Harwood
conceded in language only a fashionista
could love: “more material... to accommodate the buttocks.” Other changes include
a lengthening of the coat over the hips,
and repositioning of rank insignias, sleeve
pockets, and elbow and knee patches.
The army said feedback from soldiers
complaining that the ACU “does not
properly fit most females” prompted the
new design, and that preliminary tests

showed the uniforms are “less bulky,
more comfortable, economical and have
improved aesthetics for female soldiers”.
The ACU is the successor to the Battle
Dress Uniform, or BDU, which the US
military had assigned its troops from
1981 until 2005. Robinson said at first she
was concerned that the uniform “was
going to be too tight, and unnecessarily
cling to a woman’s figure”. But the major
quickly warmed to the idea of trading in
her unisex ACU for more form-fitting
fatigues that make her feel like a professional soldier. “I’m not wearing my brother’s pants, I’m wearing something made
for me.” — AFP

Mine blast in China kills 21
Continued from Page 1
media had joined the breathless global
coverage of the Chilean mine rescue, and
some in China asked whether their own officials would make as much of an effort in a
similar disaster, and be just as open about
the progress of rescue efforts. The test
came quickly for China, whose mining
industry is the most dangerous in the world.
China Central Television’s news channel
had an excited live broadcast from the mine
early in the afternoon, but then did not
mention the accident for several hours, and
there was no word of it on the main TV
evening news. A report later in the evening
consisted mostly of information from the
state news agency read by an announcer,
suggesting that authorities had decided to
limit reporting on the accident and rescue
efforts.
China’s mining industry is the most dangerous in the world - with 2,600 people
killed in accidents last year - and the country’s leaders have been making a high-pro-

file push in recent years to improve mine
safety. Premier Wen Jiabao has even
ordered mining bosses into the mines with
their workers or else risk severe punishment.
Yesterday’s blast at the state-run Pingyu
Coal & Electric Co Ltd mine happened as
workers were drilling a hole to release pressure from a gas buildup to decrease the risk
of explosions, according to the work safety
administration. State media say another gas
blast at the same mine two years ago killed
23 people. In the latest blast, 276 workers
were in the mine when the explosion happened and 239 escaped, according to the
state work safety administration. The mine
in the city of Yuzhou is a couple of hours
outside the Henan provincial capital of
Zhengzhou and about 690 km south of
Beijing.
Internet chatrooms - a rare platform
for relatively open debate in Communistcontrolled China - slammed the country’s
safety record after the Chilean rescues.
Some state media editorials said China

should learn from the better training and
safety systems of the Chilean miners. Many
Chinese miners are ill-trained migrant
workers toiling in pits where even basic
safety is ignored.
China had its own stunning mine rescue
earlier this year, when 115 miners were
pulled from a flooded mine in the northern
province of Shanxi after more than a week
underground. The miners survived by eating sawdust, tree bark, paper and even coal.
Some strapped themselves to the walls of
the shafts with their belts to avoid drowning
while they slept. Mining fatalities decreased
in recent years as China closed many illegal
mines, but deaths increased in the first half
of this year.
At least 515 people have been killed
nationwide in coal mines alone. An
unknown number of illegal mines still
exist to profit from the fast-growing
e c o n o m y ’ s h u g e a p p e t i t e f o r p o w e r.
China’s economy remains reliant on
coal for about two-thirds of its energy
needs. — Agencies

Iraqi firms now making music instead of bombs
Continued from Page 1
interested in the processes of simulation, scan and x-ray control,” said
Hussein, explaining that personnel were
retrained and the factory reopened in
2008, turning the page on its military
past.
Now it is banking its fortunes on a
bomb-disposal robot, proudly claiming
that the machine, which left the factory
only two months ago and was unveiled
at the fair, was entirely made in Iraq.
“There is keen demand because of the
(insurgent) attacks and because our
product is much less expensive than that
of the Americans,” Hussein said. Before
Saddam’s fall there were 42 companies
under the ministry of military industries, employing nearly 50,000 people.
But Bremer’s Authority Order Number
75, issued in April 2004 a little more
than a year after the invasion, commanded the “reconstitution of such companies
for peaceful and resourceful uses.”
Since then, all armament for Iraq’s
800,000 soldiers and police has been

bought abroad, particularly from the
United States. The Al-Ikhaa company,
founded in 1984 when Iraq was mid-way
into its eight-year war with Iraq, also
made a successful turnaround from producing heavy ar tiller y and militar y
binoculars. “We earned a lot of money at
the time because armaments were a priority for Saddam Hussein, but later it
was obviously necessary to seek other
avenues” of income, said Amer Eid, a
50-year-old engineer at the company,
which is based close to the SunniMuslim stronghold of Fallujah west of
Baghdad.
Closed for several months after the
invasion, the factory employing 3,800
people reopened in 2004 to produce filters, spare parts for cement factories,
water-purifying machines, microscopes
and, recently, gas butane cylinders. “I
believe that we are past our (financial)
problems and will begin to make profits
this year,” he said, hinting at the difficulties of the transition.
The Noaman company also made a
spectacular turnaround, going from mak-

ing cluster-bomb casings and ammunition to sprinkler pipes. Salahaldin, established in 1980 under the supervision of
French electronics giant Thomson and
which made radars and military communications equipment and was even implicated in Iraq’s nuclear programme until
1990, was also able to reinvent itself.
With $8.5 million from the ministry of
industry, the factory in Tikrit, north of
Baghdad and the cradle of Saddam’s tribal roots, now produces electricity poles,
circuit-breakers and transformers.
Companies once accused of making
chemical weapons now make fertilisers.
“Only the very specialised companies
which manufactured guns, grenades or
explosives did not make a successful
reconversion,” said Eid. Opening the fair
on Monday, Industry Minister Fawzi
Hariri said he wished to see “national
industrial production increased, not to
depend on imports”. But with industry
accounting for only 10 percent of gross
domestic product and oil contributing a
sizeable 65 percent, Iraq still has a long
way to go. — AFP

ANAHEIM: Anthony Stewart No.22 of the Atlanta Thrashers is pursued by Kyle Chipchura No.28 of the Anaheim Ducks in the third period at Honda Center. —AP

Leafs down Rangers to stay unbeaten
NEW YORK: The undefeated
Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back
from a blown third-period lead to
beat New York 4-3 in overtime on
Friday, spoiling the Rangers NHL
season home opener.
Just 20 seconds after Rangers
defenseman Marc Staal went off
for interference, Phil Kessel
scored his second goal of the game
at 3:08 of overtime to ensure
Toronto remained the early-season pacemaker.
Clarke MacArthur, who signed
with Toronto as a free agent during
the offseason, became the first player to score in his first four games
with the Maple Leafs. His fifth goal

of the season started a spurt of three
Toronto goals in quick succession in
the second that turned a 1-0 deficit
into a 3-1 lead.
Mike Komisarek and Kessel also
scored in the second for Toronto,
which is 4-0 for the first time since
the Leafs won 10 straight to open the
1993-94 season. The Rangers got
two goals from Brian Boyle in the
third to force overtime and salvage a
point. Michael Rozsival scored New
York’s opener.
Kings 4, Canucks 1
In Los Angeles, the hosts
avenged their first-round playoff
loss by beating Vancouver. Jonathan

Quick made 25 saves, and captain
Dustin Brown scored two third-period goals for the Kings. Jarret Stoll
and Justin Williams also scored for
LA. Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin
scored his fourth goal of the young
season.
A year after setting Los Angeles’
franchise record for victories by a
goalie, Quick has allowed just three
goals in his first three starts.
Avalanche 3, Devils 2
In Newark, Craig Anderson made
41 saves to help Colorado hold off
New Jersey. Anderson had 17 of his
saves in a one-sided first period.
Chris Stewart had a goal and an

assist, and tough-guy Cody McLeod
and T.J. Galiardi added goals for the
Avalanche. Devils’ rookie Matt
Taormina scored his first NHL goal
and assisted on Ilya Kovalchuk’s
third-period tally.
Canadiens 2, Sabres 1
In Buffalo, Carey Price made 22
saves as Montreal edged Buffalo.
Alexandre Picard and Josh Gorges
scored for the Canadiens. Derek
Roy scored for the Sabres, who have
dropped four straight - all at home since a season-opening win at
Ottawa. Before Roy’s third-period
goal, the Sabres hadn’t scored in 118
minutes, 55 seconds.

Penguins 3, Islanders 2
In Pittsburgh, Alex Goligoski
scored on a power play at 1:51 of
overtime to lift Pittsburgh over New
York. Goligoski’s shot just under the
crossbar from the left circle, giving
Pittsburgh its first power-play goal of
the game after seven unsuccessful
tries.
Eric Tangradi scored his first
career goal and Mike Rupp also
scored for the Penguins. Josh Bailey
and Radek Martinek scored for the
Islanders, who have lost nine consecutive games in Pittsburgh.
Blackhawks 5, Blue Jackets 2
In Columbus, Patrick Sharp

broke open a one-goal game with
two second-period scores for
Chicago in the win over Columbus.
Blackhawks goalie Marty Turco
followed a mediocre performance in
his first two games with 30 saves.
Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky
each added a goal and an assist and
Viktor Stalberg also scored.
RJ Umberger’s short-handed
goal drew Columbus to 2-1 early in
the second period, but Sharp countered with his second and third
goals of the season, the first also
coming short-handed. Kristian
Huselius added a goal in new
Columbus’ coach Scott Arniel’s
home debut.

Yankees rally to
defeat Rangers
ARLINGTON: The New York
Yankees scored five runs in the
eighth inning and then held off a
threatened Texas comeback to
beat the Rangers 6-5 on Friday
in the opening game of the
American Leaguc Championship
Series.
The Rangers had built a 5-0
lead and looked like finally winning their first ever home playoff
game but New York had other
ideas.
Robinson Cano hit a solo
homer in the seventh to begin
the Yankees’ comeback. In the
eighth, Brett Gardner’s headfirst
dive for an infield hit started the
big rally. Texas threatened in
the ninth against ace Yankees
closer Mariano Rivera, putting a
runner on second with one out.
But Rivera struck out
Michael Young and retired Josh
Hamilton on a grounder to end
the game. New York has won 10
consecutive postseason games
against the Rangers, who were
knocked out of the playoffs by
the Yankees in their only three
previous playoffs appearances
(1996, 1998 and 1999).
Texas — which won the AL
Division Series over Tampa Bay
with three road wins and two
home losses — is 0-7 in home
playoff games, five of those losses to the Yankees.
The Yankees became the
first team to win a postseason
game after trailing by at least
four runs in the eighth since the
2005 Houston Astros, according
to STATS LLC. Hamilton’s
three-run homer off CC Sabathia
in the first put Texas ahead, and
only a fortunate bounce on what
could’ve been a bases-loaded
wild pitch later in the inning

stopped the Rangers from getting more.
Texas’ CJ Wilson, the crafty
lefty reliever-turned starter,
blanked the Yankees through six
innings before Cano’s homer
started things going awfully
wrong for the Rangers.
Gardner, the speedy ninthplace hitter, led off the eighth
with an infield hit and Derek
Jeter followed with an RBI double to end the night for Wilson.
Darren Oliver, the only player who had been in a playoff
game with Texas before this season, came in with a 5-2 lead and
walked the only two batters he
faced.
New York’s Alex
Rodriguez, who had already
struck out twice and made a
fielding error to the delight of his
former Texas fans, hit a hard
grounder that hopped over
Young’s glove at third base.
The single came against
Darren O’Day, who faced only
one batter and took the loss.
Cano, who had homered an
inning earlier, then had an RBI
single off reliever Clay Rapada,
who didn’t face another batter.
Marcus Thames followed with
the single off Derek Holland that
drove home A-Rod.
Dustin Moseley, the second
of four Yankees’ relievers,
struck out four in his two perfect innings. Mariano Rivera
worked the ninth for his 42nd
career
postseason
save,
extending his major league
record. He has allowed only one
earned run over his past 21
postseason appearances (28
innings). New York pitcher Phil
Hughes wast to start Game 2
for the Yankees yesterday
against Colby Lewis. —AP

Thrashers 5, Ducks 4
In Anaheim, Anthony Stewart
completed his first career hat trick
with a tying power-play goal that
was upheld by video replay late in
the third period, and Atlanta went
on to beat Anaheim in a shootout.
Stewart, who had only four goals
in 105 games entering this season
and none this campaign, got the
equalizer with 5:22 left in regulation.
Chris Thorburn also scored in
regulation for Atlanta, and Nigel
Dawes had the lone shootout score.
Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, Ryan
Getzlaf and Toni Lydman scored for
Anaheim. —AP

Patrick commits to
NASCAR 2011 races

ARLINGTON: CC Sabathia No. 52 of the New York Yankees tags out Nelson Cruz No. 17 of the Texas Rangers at the plate
in Game One of the ALCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Rangers Ballpark. —AP

CONCORD: JR Motorsports has signed
Danica Patrick for the first four 2011 races
in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide
Series, and the rest of her schedule will
depend on her IndyCar commitments.
Team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt said
Friday that Patrick will run at Daytona,
Phoenix, Las Vegas and Bristol next season.
It will be her first trip to Bristol’s bullring.
“That will be kind of neat for her to get to
experience what NASCAR is all about and
that’s basically going around Bristol,” said
crew chief Tony Eury Jr.
Patrick will take a break from NASCAR
after Bristol to concentrate on the IndyCar
schedule through the Indianapolis 500 in
May. She’ll then resume Nationwide racing
that will be coordinated with her IndyCar
commitments.
Earnhardt said Patrick can run up to 14
races in the No. 7 Chevrolet, but the car will
run the full season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is
expected to run four races in the car. “I
know we’re all anxious to get the whole
schedule put in place, but I’m extremely
excited to be able to confirm our participation in the first four races,” Patrick said.
“We’ll have four extremely challenging
and unique races to start our 2011 season,
and I’m anxious to return to a lot of those
tracks with at least a little bit of familiarity.”
Patrick said she knows at some point next
season she’ll have to make a decision about
her commitment to NASCAR.
The race Friday night at Charlotte Motor
Speedway was the ninth of 13 scheduled
Nationwide races this season. She ended
the IndyCar season two weeks ago, finishing
10th in the final standings.
“We haven’t made all of those decisions,
2012 is a little up in the air and it depends on
the opportunities, where I could run, what
Kelley is doing, what’s happening at JR
Motorsports, what’s happening on the sponsorship side,” Patrick said. “If something
doesn’t come together, I’d run IndyCar.
There’s a lot of things up in the air right
now. We’ll see where my heart goes and
where the opportunities are.” —AP

SPORTS

16

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Steelers get set for Roethlisberger’s return
LOS ANGELES: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger returns from suspension for
his first appearance of the season while two Super
Bowl favorites will battle each other to avoid a dismal 1-4 start in NFL action this weekend.
The Steelers, who held together during
Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension with solid
defensive play, host a struggling Cleveland Browns
team that is expected to give rookie quarterback
Colt McCoy his first league start.
Roethlisberger, who was suspended following
accusations of sexual assault, rejoined the Steelers
on Oct. 4 ahead of their bye week and has reportedly been sharp in team practice.
Pittsburgh won their first three games of the
season before suffering their only loss, a 17-14
defeat by the Baltimore Ravens after a last-minute

touchdown. Before the season began, the Dallas
Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings were both considered among the favourites to represent the NFC in
the Super Bowl.
But whichever team comes up short in
Sunday’s matchup will slip to 1-4 and need a string
of victories thereafter to get their season back on
track.
The Vikings have listed starting quarterback
Brett Favre as questionable for the game, jeopardizing his NFL record of 289 consecutive regularseason starts.
Dallas, bidding to become the first team to play
in their home stadium in the Super Bowl, are coming off a 34-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans while
the Vikings fell 29-20 to the New York Jets on
Monday.

New York will put their much vaunted defense
and rushing attack to the test when they bid to win
a third successive game on the road against Kyle
Orton and the Denver Broncos today.
The AFC East-leading Jets have not started a
season 3-0 on the road since 2001 and they face a
tough task in the rarefied heights of Denver
against the NFL’s top-ranked passing attack.
A further question mark for New York hangs
over the fitness of their All-Pro cornerback
Darrelle Revis who was listed as questionable for
Sunday with a lingering hamstring strain.
“He’s either healthy enough to play or he’s
not,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan said on Friday.
“We’ll have a light practice and then we’ll go from
there. I’ve been impressed with the way he’s
looked the past couple days. We’ll see what hap-

pens when we get out there.”
Revis strained his right hamstring on Sept. 19
and missed the next two games before returning
for Monday’s victory over Minnesota.
He has since described his leg as “very sore”
and was only able to practise on a limited basis this
week. However, Revis was the only fitness concern for a 4-1 Jets who, with running backs
LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene setting
the tone, lead the league in rushing yards per
game.
“We’re built to run the football,” Ryan said.
“We don’t care if you know it’s coming or not.
That’s part of our philosophy and our mentality,
that you can put (defenders) down there if you
want, but we’re still going to run it, and we’re
going to be successful at running it. That’s what we

do.” The Super Bowl champion New Orleans
Saints, who lie third in the NFC South after a shaky
3-2 start, face a daunting challenge when they visit
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
While the struggling Saints were beaten 30-20
by the Arizona Cardinals last week, the upbeat
Buccaneers came from behind to stun the
Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 for their third win in four
games.
Among the other games on Sunday are the
Baltimore Ravens (4-1), who visit the New
England Patriots (3-1) and the Philadelphia Eagles
(3-2), who host the Atlanta Falcons (4-1).
The Kansas City Chiefs (3-1), who surrendered
the NFL’s last unbeaten record with their 19-9 loss
to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, visit the
Houston Texans (3-2). — Reuters

Mediate tightens grip

SAN MARTIN: Rocco Mediate makes a tee shot on the 10th hole during the
second round of the Frys.com Open at the CordeValle Golf Club. — AP

Molinari roars into contention
VILAMOURA: A flawless 10-birdie round of 62
catapulted Ryder Cup Italian Francesco
Molinari into Portugal Masters contention in
exhilarating fashion on Friday.
Molinari had been so upset with himself
after carding a two-over 74 in the first round he
said he felt kicking a door. Instead he bettered
his career-best score by a stroke to come within a shot of the Oceanica Victoria course record.
His birdie blitz left him still five strokes
behind the halfway leader Maarten Lafeber, but
Molinari said he now felt composed enough to
record his second tour victory.
“Two-over yesterday was just too bad to be
true when I knew I was striking the ball so
well,” the Italian told reporters. “I didn’t kick
the door but I felt like doing it.
“The mind just wasn’t ready to play golf. It
was just lack of focus. The Ryder Cup was very
tiring and I should have taken last week off.
“But now I have my mindset back.” A splendid day on the greens, in which he took only 25

putts, helped Molinari up the leader board.
While he soared, former US Open champion
Michael Campbell crumbled yet again. The 41year-old 2005 major winner was full of optimism he could make only his second cut in 18
starts this year but a disastrous finish ended the
New Zealander’s chance of weekend action.
With just two holes to go Campbell was in a
position to qualify for the last two rounds but
double bogeys on both resulted in a five-over 77
to leave him level-par. The cut came at a staggering four-under 140, only two worse than the
all-time tour record.
Leader Lafeber, looking for a long-awaited
second tour title to go with his home Dutch
Open in 2003, included an eagle-two at the second on his way to a 67 to lie 13-under, a twoshot advantage over Finn Mikko Ilonen (68).
Portuguese Jose-Filipe Lima cheered his
home supporters with a 64 to share third place,
three off the lead, with Frenchman Raphael
Jacquelin (67). — Reuters

PORTUGAL: Maarten Lafeber of Netherlands salutes supporters during the
third round of the Portugal Masters Golf Tournament. — AP

SAN JOSE: Rocco Mediate edged closer to his
first PGA Tour victory in eight years by grabbing
a three-shot lead in Friday’s second round of the
Frys.com Open in San Martin.
A stroke in front of the chasing pack overnight,
Tour veteran Mediate fired a sparkling six-underpar 65 for a 13-under total of 129 at CordeValle
Golf Club.
The 47-year-old American needed a total of
only 23 putts as he ended a sunny day three ahead
of Japan’s Ryuji Imada, who carded a 67.
Former world number one David Duval fired a
bogey-free 65 to lie four shots off the pace, level
with fellow American Dean Wilson (64).
US Ryder Cup player Rickie Fowler (65) and
Swede Henrik Stenson (67) were among a group
of five bunched at eight under in the third of five
events in the PGA Tour’s Fall Series.
Mediate, who won the most recent of his five
Tour titles at the 2002 Greater Greensboro
Classic, was delighted to be in a good position to
end his victory drought on the U.S. circuit.
“I want it,” he told reporters. “I want to be able
to go out tomorrow and see what I got. I like to
have attention, but I just want to see what I can do
out there. I can’t wait.”
Having opened with a blistering 64 that included a hole-in-one, Mediate experienced a measure
of self-imposed pressure overnight in his bid to
maintain form.
“Starting out this morning, I was a bit nervy for
sure because you just want to go out and try to
shoot (a good number),” he said. “Did I think I
was going to shoot six or seven under? No.
“You never think that’s going to happen, but,
of course, I want it to. The human factor kicked in
a little bit. But it was good. My game was solid all
day.”
Mediate drained a monster 40-foot putt at the
par-five 12th for his first birdie of the day after
playing the back nine first.
Out in three-under 33, he conjured another
magical shot when he holed out with a seven-iron
from 158 yards to eagle the par-four fourth.
“I hit it a foot or two to the right of the pin,
there is a slope out there and it kicked up a little
bit,” Mediate said. “One of the marshals was
standing by the ropes and he is walking it down
going: ‘Go, go, go’. It was pretty cool.”
The cut fell at level-par 142 with former major
winners Trevor Immelman of South Africa and
Americans Mark Brooks and Tom Lehman among
those missing out.
Meanwhile, tour rookies Gwladys Nocera and
Beatriz Recari each shot a 6-under 66 on Friday
and were tied for the lead after the second round
of the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge, taking
advantage of a rough day for Brittany Lincicome.
Recari had an eagle and five birdies over her
final 10 holes to get to 10-under 134. Nocera finished with seven birdies.
Amy Hung was alone in third at 9 under.
Michele Redman, Wendy Ward, Stacy Lewis and
Ilhee Lee were at 136. Lincicome, who shot a
blistering 11-under 61 on Thursday to build a
four-stroke lead, struggled off the tee all afternoon and shot a 76 that left her at 7 under. She had
four bogeys and a triple bogey.
A 10-time winner on the European Tour
before joining the LPGA, the 35-year-old Nocera
overcame a rough start to match her best round of
the season.
The Frenchwoman tied for 66th at last week’s
Navistar Classic and had broken par only once in
10 rounds before shooting a 68 on Thursday.
Friday’s 66 was the best score of the round and
had her alone atop the leaderboard before Recari’s
late charge.
Nocera shared the lead despite starting her
day with a bogey on the par-4, 383-yard first hole.
She parred the next two holes then picked up
birdies on five of the next six.
After making the turn at 8 under, Nocera
birdied Nos. 13 and 15 to inch closer to the lead
while Lincicome was sliding back to the pack.
Recari, meanwhile, was 1 over through her
first eight holes before picking up five strokes
over the next four holes. That included an eagle
on the par-5, 475-yard 11th. The 23-year-old
Spaniard had a chance to overtake Nocera but
missed a long birdie putt on 18.
Lincicome, who has three career LPGA Tour
titles, fought her driver all day. She pulled several tee shots left and had to scramble just to save
par on some holes. Lincicome’s luck ran out after
she birdied the par-5 11th to move to 12 under.
She bogeyed the next two holes to fall into a tie
with Nocera before carding a seven on the par-4,
390-yard 14th. She hit her tee shot into the sand,
then went into a hazard before three-putting.
Defending champion Sophie Gustafson shot even
par for the second straight day and is at 144, one
stroke above the cut.
Cristie Kerr, who needs to finish second or
better to overtake Ai Miyazato as the No. 1ranked player in the world, is seven shots off the
pace at 141. She shot a 68 that included an eagle
on No. 11. — AP

DHAKA: New Zealand cricket team captain Daniel Vettori plays a shot during a training
session at the Sher-e Bangla national stadium in preparation for the final one-day-international (ODI) cricket match against Bangladesh. — AFP

Pakistan cricket comes under
pressure after ICC warning
KARACHI: Top former Pakistan
cricket officials yesterday slammed
the ICC after the sport’s governing
body warned the local board needs to
take extraordinary measures to avoid
sanctions over alleged corruption.
The International Cricket Council
Wednesday issued a strict warning to
the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to
implement a series of measures to
solve problems faced by the country’s
cricket or risk sanctions.
“PCB must act and be seen to be
acting to uphold the zero-tolerance
attitude to corruption in sport and
conduct a thorough review of players’
integrity, educate them, implement a
process and introduce an anti-corruption code in their domestic cricket,”
the ICC said in a statement after their
two-day board meeting in Dubai.
“If the PCB fails to carry out the
above to the satisfaction of the board
within the next 30 days, the board will
consider what further action (including, if appropriate, sanctions) is
required in the circumstances,” it
said.
Pakistan cricket has been rocked
by allegations of spot-fixing in the
national team’s recent tour of

England, resulting in two separate
inquiries.
The ICC ruled Wednesday there
was no evidence of spot-fixing in the
third one-day international between
Pakistan and England last month but
another inquiry, relating to the Lord’s
Test against England in August, is
pending.
Three players-Salman Butt,
Mohammad Asif and Mohamnmad
Aamer-were provisionally suspended
by the ICC after the trio was alleged
to have taken money from a bookmaker to deliberately bowl no-balls in
the Test. Former ICC president
Ehsan Mani said the warning was
insulting.
“It is damning,” Mani told AFP. “It
means that the ICC has publicly called
that the PCB has to regain the confidence of the ICC, and put them under
pressure to take serious steps.”
Mani said the PCB should have
sought an apology from the ICC after
they found no evidence of spot-fixing
in the Oval match. “ICC hastily took
action on a newspaper report,” said
Mani, referring to the tip off in British
tabloid The Sun that Pakistan’s scoring pattern in the Oval match was

Ward to face Bika outside
of Super Six tournament
NEW YORK: Andre Ward will
defend his WBA super middleweight title against Sakio
Bika as part of a doubleheader
on No. 27 in Oakland,
California.
Ward was supposed to face
former Olympic teammate
Andre Dirrell in the final
group-stage match of the
Super Six World Boxing
Classic, but Dirrell pulled out
because of headaches and
dizziness stemming from his
disqualification victory against
Arthur Abraham in March.
In the opener of the doubleheader, Abraham will face Carl
Froch for the vacant WBC title
in their Super Six match at the
Hartwall Areena in Helsinki.
The Super Six is a modified
round-robin tournament that
began with six fighters, with
each earning points based on
the outcome of three guaranteed fights — two points for a
victory, one point for a draw
and a bonus point for a knockout.
The four fighters with the
most points would advance to

seeded semifinals scheduled
for early next year. That plan
has been thrown into chaos by
injuries and withdrawals by
half of the field.
Ward’s fight against Bika in
Oakland is not part of the
Super Six. Instead, he’ll get
two points from Dirrell’s forfeit, giving him a tournamentleading six and ensuring his
place in the semifinals.
Abraham and Froch also
have semifinal spots, barring
any more injuries. Abraham
has three points and Froch has
two, while Allan Green and
Glen Johnson are scoreless.
Those two meet Nov. 6 in the
third group-stage match at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Green was a replacement for
Jermain Taylor after the first
round of fights, while Johnson
replaced Mikkel Kessler after
the second series of bouts.
That means the winner of
their fight is assured of joining Ward, Abraham and Froch
in the semifinals, with only
the seeding left to be determined. — AP

pre-arranged with the book-makers.
“ICC should have the courtesy to
apologise to the Pakistan players and
the PCB,” he said. “Since the PCB’s
position was so undermined they cannot seek apology from the ICC,” said
Mani, who was ICC president 20032006.
Former PCB chairman Khalid
Mahmood said the ICC warning was
an insult to Pakistan. “ICC warning is
an insult to the whole nation,”
Mahmood told AFP. “This step of the
ICC is an evidence of inability and
incompetence of the PCB officials and
they have clearly mishandled the
whole situation.”
But Mahmood said the ICC was
not justified in warning Pakistan.
“ICC has cleared Pakistan of any corruption in the Oval one-day, Scotland
Yard has yet to level any charges on
the Lord’s Test inquiry, under these
circumstances the ICC warning is
biased and unjustified.”
Mahmood blamed the English
media for creating problems for
Pakistan cricket. “English media is
ready to raise as much muck on
Pakistan team, without analysing and
without evidence,” he said. — AFP

Indian government
to look into Delhi
blunders — reports
NEW DELHI: The Indian government has
ordered a probe into allegations of graft and
mismanagement that plagued the recent $6
billion Commonwealth Games, local newspapers quoted government officials as saying yesterday.
An official familiar with developments
told The Hindustan Times that the government is determined to hold officials to
account for a botched build-up to the Games,
that concluded on Thursday, that made
headlines across the world.
“Irregularities would not be glossed
over,” Manish Tewari, spokesperson for the
ruling Congress party told reporters.
Organising Committee chairman Suresh
Kalmadi, widely blamed for a raft of blunders
that marred preparations for the 12-day
gathering, was not present at the Prime
Minister’s residence to celebrate India’s
gold medal winners on Saturday.
Kalmadi was jeered at both the opening and
closing ceremonies in the Indian capital
despite the home nation’s successful showing
that culminated with a second place finish in
the medals table behind Australia. — Reuters

China leads Romania
in Worlds qualifying
ROTTERDAM: China put in a strong performance
in yesterday’s opening day of the World
Championships which should see it easily through
to the final of the women’s team event.
The Chinese women needed a 5 a.m. wake-up
call to be ready for Saturday’s first morning session,
but with four members of the gold medal-winning
team from the Beijing Olympics, their experience
easily carried them through. They finished with
233.778 points, easily the best of the sessions so far.
Despite two spills on the beam, Romania was in
second place with 228.495, well ahead of Italy with
219.179. China’s He Kexin was outstanding on the
uneven bars, and is the favorite to take gold on the
apparatus to add to her Olympic and 2009 world
title.
Russia has its qualifying later Saturday while the
US session is set for Sunday. The team final is
Wednesday. Not everything went smoothly for
China though. On the floor, Huang Qiushuang
stepped out of bounds early and looked uncertain.
On the beam, Sui Lu had to grab the beam briefly to
regain her composure.
“It is fine for the first outing. It is very hard,”
considering the early start, China head coach Lu
Shan Zhen said through a translator.
Lu specifically lauded He for her sterling uneven
bars routine, and sees it as a possible key to clinch
gold in the finals on Wednesday.
Lu said he expected the Americans to excel on

the floor, the Romanians to dominate the beam and
Russians the vault, leaving the outcome of the first
team world championships since 2007 evenly balanced. “The level of the teams is just about the
same,” Lu said of the four nations.
The beam didn’t look like Romania’s strong suit
on Saturday when two of their gymnasts fell off. A
scare for sure, but it will have little impact since the
eight teams through the final will start from scratch
again and all points from qualifying are scrapped.
“It was psychology,” said Octavian Bellu,
Romania’s most successful coach who has returned
to the women’s team since this summer. He is not
looking for immediate results, as he is already looking ahead to the 2012 London Olympics. So earning
experience here is key, he said.
“I am not satisfied. But I am never satisfied,” he
said. Romania took bronze at the Beijing Games,
where China won ahead of the United States. The
team event was not held at the London world championships last year.
With its strong showing in the individual allaround over the past few years, the US team will
certainly be considered a strong challenger, but
defending all-around champion Bridget Sloan will
be limited to the uneven bars and floor only
because she has struggled with ankle and shoulder
injuries. Despite a shin inflammation, last year’s
runner-up Rebecca Bross will compete in all four
disciplines. — AP

Nissan GT-Rs ready for more action
DUBAI: The FIA GT1 World
Championship rolls into France
this weekend, to the western tip of
the glorious French Riviera for the
midsummer event of 2010. The
Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet
plays host to the six manufacturers,
12 teams and 24 drivers who are
fighting for glory in this inaugural
season of ‘GT1 World’.
The two Nissan GT-R teams:
Swiss Racing Team and Sumo
Power GT, are refreshed and ready
for action after the traditional break
in the season brought about by the
Le Mans 24 Hours in June.
The Sumo Power GT team
headed to Snetterton last week to
take advantage of the break and
complete a two-day test.
“I’m really happy with how
things are going at Sumo Power
GT,” commented Team Manager,
Allen Orchard. “We have a new
race engineer, Ian Smith, who is
already working well within the
team.
He has a very methodical
approach to engineering and I’m
looking forward to seeing that in
action at Ricard. We have just completed a thorough test at

17

Snetterton and we made good
progress. Our target for Ricard is to
get both of our Nissan GT-Rs up
there this time.”
Jamie Campbell-Walter and
Warren Hughes, drivers of the
No.22 Sumo Power GT Nissan GTR, are currently in sixth place in
the driver’s championship, the
highest-placed of the Nissan drivers. “Warren and I are in a pretty
good position now so we need to
make sure we score points at every
round,”
explained
CampbellWalter. “Brno was tough for us but
we were quick, even with the
40kgs of success ballast from
Silverstone.
The ballast has gone now so
hopefully we will be competitive at
Ricard. I’ve never actually raced
there but I’ve done thousands of
miles in testing, including two 24hour tests, so I know my way
around! I think the Nissan GT-R
will go well there as it has some
long straights and some flowing
corners, like Brno and Silverstone,
which suit the car.”
After a difficult start to the season, Swiss Racing Team has also
made the most of the break,

focussing on the set up of its
Nissan GT-Rs.
“We have finally managed to get
some breathing space and have had
time to concentrate on the cars,”
said Team Principal, Othmar Welti.
“The first three races came very
quickly after each other for us,
especially after the crash at
Silverstone left us with a lot of
work to do to catch-up.
Now though we have had time to
run a small test where we worked a
lot on the set up of the Nissan GTR. We have shown that we have
the pace in the race so now we
need to show it in qualifying. We
tested at Ricard earlier in the year
and I am feeling optimistic about
this event.” Henri Moser, driver of
the No.3 Swiss Racing Team
Nissan GT-R, echoes Welti’s comments and can’t wait to get back on
track at Ricard.
“I’m very much looking forward
to Ricard as I am confident we can
be quicker there,” he said. “The
team found some pace at Brno and
has also tested there since and had
the opportunity to improve the set
up. We think that Ricard will be a
good track for the Nissan GT-R.”

GUANGZHOU: Kevin Martin
scored 16 points and Yao Ming
added 10 in front of the home
crowd yesterday to help the
Houston Rockets beat the New
Jersey Nets 95-85 in a preseason game.
The game was a local showcase for Yao, who continues to
ease back from foot surgery
after sitting out last season.
The center looked sharp under
the basket with several deft
hook shots during his 18 minutes on the court. When he wasn’t playing, he spent his time on
the sideline riding an exercise
bike.
Yao finished 5 of 8 from the
field and added five rebounds —
enough to be named the game’s
most valuable player. The
crowd chanted his name as he
was taken off with 9 minutes
left in the fourth quarter.
New Jersey’s Brook Lopez
led all scorers with 20 points,
while Anthony Morrow had 19
for the Nets. Houston had six
players in double figures, as
Aaron Brooks had 12, Brad
Miller scored 11 while Shane
Battier and Chase Budinger
added 10 each.
It was Miller’s first preseason game after spraining his
ankle in September. The
Rockets take on the San
Antonio Spurs and Dallas
Mavericks in two more exhibitions back in the United States
next week and then open the
season on Oct. 26 against the
Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets wrap up their preseason against the New York
Knicks and Boston Celtics next
week before opening against the
Detroit Pistons on Oct. 27.
Yesterday’s game marked the
opening of the Guangzhou
International Sports Arena. —AP

Stoner takes
pole at home
PHILLIP ISLAND: Australia’s
Casey Stoner celebrated his
25th birthday by taking pole
position at the Australian Grand
Prix yesterday as riders struggled during a damp and gusty
qualifying session.
The Ducati rider delighted
fans by clocking the fastest lap
of one minute 30.107 seconds
on the 4.45 km Phillip Island
circuit before rain halted proceedings, giving himself every
chance of clinching a fourth
consecutive home victory.
Newly crowned world
champion Jorge Lorenzo
briefly threatened to spoil
Stoner’s party when he
recorded the fastest lap with
less than 15 minutes remaining in the session, but the
Australian bettered the time
twice to underscore his mastery of the circuit.
Spain’s Lorenzo will start
second on the grid for
Sunday’s race with American
Yamaha rider Ben Spies third.
“It was a little bit hard conditions with the rain and that
coming,” Stoner, who has won
two of the last three rounds in
a late-season revival, said in a
televised interview.
“It was pushing a lot more
wind at the end of the session
so we were lucky to even drop
the lap times. “We were trying
a few different things and got
the rear of the bike to work a
little bit smoother over the
bumps but even then with that
extra grip the bike still wanted
to throw me off every chance
it got.”
After rain threatened to
derail practice sessions, the
sun emerged to dry sections
of the track but not long
enough to prevent crews
working frantically in the pit
with tyre changes and combinations.
Spies, sixth in the championship standings, left the circuit early to watch proceedings and was pleasantly surprised to finish on the front
row. “With these conditions
it’s making it tough on everybody and luckily we got on the
front row, I think it will make
for a good race tomorrow,”
said the season’s leading rookie, who will become Lorenzo’s
team mate next season.
Ducati
riders
Hector
Barbera
of
Spain
and
American Nicky Hayden both
crashed
but
emerged
unscathed, while the usually
buoyant Valentino Rossi was a
picture of frustration after
qualifying eighth.
The Italian seven-time
premier class champion
struggled to post a fast lap on
his Yamaha and after returning to the pit, was unable to
improve on his time as the
rain fell. —Reuters

CHINA: New Jersey Net’s Terrence Williams (left) attempts to score a basket against
Houston Rockets’ Jared Jeffries during the Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets game
in the NBA China Games 2010 at the International Sports Arena in Guangzhou. —AFP

Kuwait Police soccer
team comes fourth
KUWAIT: Kuwait police soccer
team took fourth place in Holland’s
international police indoor soccer
tournament in which 64 teams participated.
In the quarter final round
Kuwait’s team defeated Turkey 1-0,
lost to Russia 2-1. Russia took first
place, meanwhile Kuwait ended in

fourth place after losing to
Montenegro in penalties shoot out.
Croatia was third.
Lt Colonel Nawaf Al-Marta was
choosen as best player in the tournament. This achievement reflects
the quality move police sports has
made in general and indoor soccer
in particular. This also comes due

to the unlimited support of the president of international and Kuwait
Police Sports Associations Lt
General Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Sabah and board members. This is the first time Kuwait’s
team participates. It is scheduled to
arrive back in Kuwait at 8:30 pm
today.

Colonel Walid Al-Ghanim with team officials and athletes

18

SPORTS

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Hope returns to Anfield as players meet new owners
LONDON: Liverpool players met their
new owners yesterday as attention turned
from the long and bitter boardroom battle
for control of the club to the fortunes of
the relegation-threatened team on the
pitch.
New England Sports Ventures executives were in Liverpool a day after fellow
Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett
Jr. gave up their legal fight to hang onto
the club, which was sold against their
wishes by English directors to the owners
of baseball’s Boston Red Sox.
The new owners arrive without the
promises of their predecessors, but they
have been largely welcomed by the club’s
fans, who are relieved to be rid of the massive debts which Hicks and Gillett saddled
the club with, and are dreaming of a
return to the club’s fading glory days.

The task begins today with the team
making the short trip to Everton for the
Merseyside derby when Roy Hodgson’s
side will be trying to record just its second
Premier League win of the season.
NESV owner John Henry and chairman
Tom Werner watched the last training
session before the match before addressing the players inside the Melwood complex. “We actually have been at Melwood
before, we came here under the radar
about four or six weeks ago, but it’s
always a pleasure to be around players
because, after all, they are the heart and
soul of the club,” Werner said.
“We look forward to spending the next
few days here talking to various stakeholders and telling them about a little bit
our track record and how we’re going to
go about our business. “I think one mes-

sage I’d like to give is I’d rather underpromise and over-deliver.” Winger Ryan
Babel spoke with Henry over lunch and
said in a Twitter posting that it was “a
short but good meeting. He is humble and
proud to be part of LFC.”
No promises have been made about a
spending spree on players in the January
transfer window, or a replacement for the
iconic but relatively small Anfield ground.
In the months after Hicks and Gillett
arrived in 2007, the Reds reached the
Champions League final, losing to AC
Milan, and in 2009, the 18-time champions
missed out on their first English top flight
title since 1990 by four points.
But last season Liverpool slipped to
seventh in the standings, missing out on
qualification for the lucrative Champions
League and the team is now languishing

in the relegation zone.
“There’s a lot of work to be done to get
this club to where it needs to be,” Henry
said. “There is a great nucleus here off
the field and on the field and we think we
can build from that, but it’s not going to be
easy. “We’ve got real challenges but
we’ve got a very strong organization,
financially and otherwise, we have some
terrific strategic thinkers and we’re going
to be attacking this head on.”
Henry did state that the 300 million
pound ($476 million) transaction will wipe
out the club’s crippling debts and was not
funded through the type of leveraged
takeover that ultimately suffocated
Liverpool’s ability to invest in the squad.
The cost of servicing the club’s debt
has been cut from between 25 and 30 million pounds a year to between two and

three million pounds.
Having feared for the club’s existence,
Hodgson now expects to have some
money to spend in the January transfer.
“In future we can invest in players in a
different way to what has happened in the
last transfer window,” Hodgson said.
“Then money was in short supply and we
weren’t even certain there would be any
money to spend or even if the club would
be there.”
Liverpool went to the High Court in
London twice this week to win approval
for the sale over the objections of Hicks
and Gillett, who claimed NESV’s winning
bid undervalued the five-time European
champions.
But Hicks and Gillett aren’t going
without a fight, threatening to drag the
club through further court battles despite

dropping a $1.6 billion damages claim in
Dallas. The duo claimed the sale was
“illegal” and an “extraordinary swindle,”
adding that part-nationalized Royal Bank
of Scotland refused to allow them to repay
Liverpool’s debts to prevent the sale.
RBS forced Hicks and Gillett to put the
club up for sale in April as they failed to
repay their debts. “The process was continually frustrated by chatter about financial distress coming out of RBS,” Hicks
said. “We know there are better owners
out there for the Liverpool Football Club
than the Boston Red Sox group.
“We knew who they were. We were
just frustrated that every time we had
conversations with them we had people in
our own organization who somehow had
those things not work out. They conspired against us.” —AP

Barcelona to cut spending
BARCELONA: Barcelona plans
to cut back spending to help
reduce its debts of more than
euro 400 million ($563 million)
and take legal action against former president Joan Laporta
over the club’s poor financial
state, his successor Sandro
Rosell said yesterday.
Rosell addressed his first
members “due diligence” meeting in charge of the defending
Spanish champion, where vice
president Javier Faus said the

club lost euro 79.6 million
($112.2 million) last season.
Club members voted to take
legal action against the former
board of directors, which
Laporta presided over until June
30, saying “it must answer for
its management before the tribunals of justice.”
“I don’t know if they have
taken money,” Faus said. “I am
not at all pleased to have to
approve accounts with euro 79
million in debts. There won’t be

any special credit levy, but the
club will be poorer.”
Faus said there was still reason for optimism as revenues of
euro 415.4 million were “the
highest in the club’s history.”
“Austerity will be a pillar in
our day-to-day management,”
Rosell said, adding that banks
had extended Euro 155 million
in credit. “The club has sufficient cash to meet its short
and medium term obligations.” —AFP

Munster charge back as Myler lifts Saints
PARIS:- Munster bounced
back from their opening
European Cup loss to London
Irish by scoring a thrilling
bonus point win over Toulon at
Thomond Park yesterday.
The Irish side recovered
from a try conceded after just
56 seconds to touch down six
of their own for a 45-18 success which puts them top of
Pool 3 with a one-point advantage on Ospreys, 27-16 winners over London Irish on
Friday.
Stand-in Munster captain
Denis Leamy, Tony Buckley,
Doug Howlett (2), man-of-thematch Mick O’Driscoll and
James Coughlan all crossed for
the two-time champions, with
Ronan O’Gara kicking 15
points. Tries from JeanPhilippe Genevois and skipper
Joe van Niekerk and a Jonny
Wilkinson drop goal were the
only high points for Toulon.
Meanwhile rugby league
convert Stephen Myler seized

a rare starting chance with
both hands earlier Saturday as
he kicked 16 points in
Northampton’s thrilling 31-27
victory over Edinburgh.
The 26-year-old former
Widnes star — who switched
codes in 2006 — was called up
for his first start since the
opening day of the season to
try and solve the Saints kicking
woes and responded brilliantly
as the 2000 winners recorded
their second successive win.
Saints, who had edged
Castres last weekend, had
looked in trouble after
Edinburgh opened up a 24-13
lead after 31 minutes following
tries from Allan Jacobsen,
Netani Talei and Ben Cairns
and nine points from the boot
of the Chris Paterson.
But they fought back just
before the break as fly-half
Myler’s third penalty and a try
from centre James Downey
closed the lead to three points.
Northampton rugby direc-

tor Jim Mallinder admitted that
some harsh words for his side
at half time did the trick.
“I told our players some
home truths at half time - they
had to sharpen up their
defence and look after the ball
better although our attacking
was pretty good.
“We
had
to
stop
Edinburgh’s offloading game
and although we had been hesitant in the first half we
stepped that up after halftime.”
“I was really pleased to get
that result because Edinburgh
are a formidable side who have
beaten some big teams so it is
a big game coming to
Murrayfield,” added Mallinder
whose side are three points
clear at the top of Pool One.
Edinburgh’s loss followed last
weekend’s reverse at Cardiff
Blues with coach Rob Moffat
admitting his side face a huge
task to progress from this
pool. — AFP

FRANKFURT: The amazing
run of Mainz ended in a 1-0 loss
to Hamburg on a last-gasp goal
yesterday, costing Mainz the
lead in the Bundesliga and its
seven-win streak to start the
season.
Mainz slipped to second
place on goal difference behind
Borussia Dortmund, which won
2-1 at Cologne on Friday to take
first place for the first time in
seven years. Paolo Guerrero’s
score in the 89th minute for
Hamburg prevented the surprising Mainz from an eighth
successive win and tying the
Bundesliga record for the best
season start.
“It’s not the end of the
world, we have to regroup next
week,” Mainz coach Thomas
Tuchel said. Elsewhere, striker Mario Gomez scored a hat
trick in Bayern Munich’s 3-0
home win over Hannover, his
first goals for the club in eight
months.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted a late penalty to salvage
a 2-2 draw for Schalke against
bottom-place Stuttgart, Werder
Bremen edged Freiburg 2-1,
and St. Pauli beat Nuremberg 32.
In the late game, Simon
Rolfes had two goals and played
a role in another as Bayer
Leverkusen overcame a twogoal deficit to win 3-2 at
Wolfsburg.
Ze Roberto, who had hit the
post in the first half for
Hamburg, set up Guerrero’s
goal by breaking free on the left
side and slipping a short pass
for the Peru striker to drill into
the roof of the net.
Marco Caliguiri struck the
post for Mainz and Hamburg
had a score disallowed when
striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
was called for a foul before he
headed the ball into the net.
“We lost possession too often
and allowed them to be dangerous on the counterattack,”
Tuchel said.
“We had three or four excellent chances in the second half
but then we conceded a bitter
goal.” Hamburg moved to
seven points behind Dortmund
and Mainz, which both have 21
points. Dortmund has won its
last seven to tie the club record.
Bayern, the defending champion, cut the gap to the top to 10
points despite missing several
injured regulars, including
striker Miroslav Klose and Ivica
Olic. Gomez, rarely used by
coach Louis van Gaal although
he was Bayern’s most expensive acquisition in the club’s
history, got a chance from the
start and used it fully. Gomez
opened the scoring with a diving header in the 21st minute
off Hamit Altintop’s cross.
His second goal in the 77th
came after he swapped passes
with Toni Kroos, but only after
Gomez had controlled the ball
with his arm at the start of the
move. The referee missed it
and Gomez easily faked a
defender before slotting home.
“It was a clear handball,”
Hannover coach Mirko Slomka
said. “We may have had a
chance to equalize if the goal
had not been allowed but after
that it was all over.” Gomez’s
third goal came in the final
minute off a cross from Thomas
Mueller. “I had a good feeling
before the game,” Gomez said,
especially after his namesake,
one of the Chilean miners, had
been rescued safely.
In Wolfsburg, Grafite set up
Diego for the first goal in the
ninth, then doubled the lead
himself in the 68th. But two
dreadful Wolfsburg’s errors
within two minutes allowed
Leverkusen to get back into the
game. Reserve goalkeeper
Marwin Hitz mistimed his exit,
allowing Rolfes to head home.
Makoto Hasebe then handled
the ball to stop Rolfes’ charge
and gave away a penalty, converted by Arturo Vidal in the
74th. Rolfes completed the
comeback by netting from close
range in the 82nd. — AP

Federer, Murray in Shanghai final
SHANGHAI: Roger Federer defeated
Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4 yesterday to set
up a match-up with Andy Murray in the
final of the Shanghai Masters.
Murray dispatched Juan Monaco of
Argentina 6-4, 6-1 in the other semifinal to
reach his fourth final of the year. Federer
could capture the 64th title of his career
today, moving him into a tie with Pete
Sampras for fourth place on the all-time
list.
But Murray has won seven of their 12
career matches, including the last time
they played in the Toronto Masters final in
August — the Scot’s only title of the year.
With his win over Djokovic, Federer will
regain the No. 2 ranking he lost when he
was beaten by the Serb in the US Open
semifinals in September.
Federer was under pressure at the
start, fighting off four break points in a
tight third game before finally holding
when Djokovic hit a forehand long.
The Swiss player then began attacking

the net more, setting up a break point of
his own at 5-5 with a backhand approach
shot that Djokovic hit into the net. He converted when the Serb put another shot in
the net and easily closed out the set.
Federer broke twice more in the second
set to seal the match, his 11th victory over
Djokovic in 17 meetings. “I think the first
set could have gone either way today,”
Federer said. “It was really an open battle.
I got the better of him at the end of the first
set. I think for 10 minutes he was a bit out
of it and I was able to take advantage of
that.”
Djokovic, who had been attempting to
capture back-to-back titles in China after
winning last week in Beijing, said that losing the first break was the key to the
match. “The start of the second set, I lost
my focus a little bit, my energy dropped,”
he said.
“Yeah, in a blink of the eye, I was two
breaks down at 4-1.” Murray broke
Monaco’s serve early in the first set before

taking a 5-2 lead. But he committed four
straight errors when trying to close out the
set and dropped serve for only the second
time all week.
The Scot turned it around with defense
in the next game. After breaking a string,
he saved three overheads with backhand
lobs before Monaco finally missed a smash
wide. Monaco dropped seven of the next
eight games to lose the match.
“I chased a lot of balls down, he made a
few mistakes,” Murray said. “Points like
that can sort of change matches a little bit.
But I was still feeling quite comfortable,
even at that stage.” Monaco said he couldn’t recover from losing the exchange.
“I was totally unfocused after that,” he
said. “I have like five smashes and I couldn’t
finish the point. Then it was tough for me.
He broke. He won that set.” Monaco, who
was sidelined for three months this summer
with a wrist injury, upset 13th-seeded
Jurgen Melzer in a nearly three-hour battle
in the quarterfinals Friday. —AP

Ivanovic and Patty
reach final in Linz
LINZ: Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic reached her
first final in 19 months when she beat Roberta
Vinci of Italy 6-3, 7-5 yesterday to meet Patty
Schnyder in the Generali Ladies finale.
Unseeded Schnyder saved two match points
before beating sixth-seeded Andrea Petkovic of
Germany 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in the first semifinal.
Ivanovic won the last of her eight career
WTA Tour titles in Linz in 2008, the same year
the Serb won the French Open and became the
top-ranked player.
Ivanovic initially did not plan to appear in
this year’s event but accepted a late wild card
after Serena Williams pulled out with a foot
injury.
The Serb is 4-4 against Schnyder, and has
won all four meetings between them since
2006.
It’s Schnyder’s second final of the season
after Budapest in July, when the Swiss veteran
lost to Agnes Szavay. Schnyder, who holds 11
career WTA titles, reached her third final in
Linz after 2005 and 2007 but was yet to win the
event.
The seventh-seeded Ivanovic converted her
only break point of the first set to go 3-0 up and
held serve throughout to take the opener
against Vinci.
They swapped breaks early in the second
before Vinci dopped serve again at 5-5.
Ivanovic closed out the win with her eighth ace
on her second match point. The 47th-ranked
Schnyder was serving at 4-5, 15-40 down in the
deciding set against Petkovic, but won that
game and broke immediately afterward.
Schnyder converted her second match point
when the German hit a backhand long.
Schnyder dominated the early stages from the
baseline as Petkovic looked vulnerable on her
backhand.
Schnyder raced into a 5-0 lead. She was broken while serving for the opening set but took
it shortly afterward. Schnyder went 3-1 up in
the second before Petkovic found her rhythm
and took the next four games. The German,
who won her only WTA title in nearby Bad
Gastein last year, received treatment for a blister on her finger but went on to win the set and
force Schnyder into a decider. — AP

Date strolls into final
OSAKA: Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm
remains on track to become the oldest
player to win a WTA singles title, after
beating Shahar Peer in the semifinals of
the Japan Women’s Open yesterday.
Date Krumm, who turned 40 last
month, broke third-seeded Israeli Peer to
go up 6-5 in the third set before serving
out for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 win.
“Considering my age and the years I
was away from the tour, I would say this
is a miracle” Date Krumm said “I just
hope that my physical and mental health
will last one more game.”
Date Krumm’s opponent in the final
will be another veteran — the 33-year-

old Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand,
who upset second-seeded Marion Bartoli
of France 6-2, 7-5. The oldest player to
win a WTA singles title was Billie Jean
King in Birmingham in 1983 when she
was 39 years, 7 months and 23 days old.
Date Krumm and Tanasugarn are tied
1-1 in head-to-head. The Japanese veteran has an 8-6 career record in finals while
Tanasugarn is 3-7.
Date Krumm, who ended a 12-year
retirement in April 2008, reached the
third round of the Pan Pacific last
month after beating defending champion Maria Sharapova and Daniela
Hantuchova. — Ap

SPAIN: FC Barcelona’s Dani Alves, from Brazil (left) duels for the ball against Valencia’s Jordi Alba
during a Spanish League soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium.—AP

Classy Barca down Valencia
MADRID: Champions Barcelona produced a
second half masterclass coming from behind
to defeat title rivals Valencia 2-1 at Camp
Nou yesterday to move joint top of the
Spanish first division alongside their defeated visitors.
Barca fell behind to a Pablo Hernandez
goal on 37 minutes but turned the game
around with a mesmerising second half as
goals from Spanish World Cup winners
Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol inflicted a
first league defeat of the season on Valencia.
David Villa could have had a hat-trick
against his old club but found 39-year-old
goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez in great form.
It was a welcome home win for
Barcelona who had dropped five points in
their first three home games and the double
champions move level on 16 points with
Valencia at the summit.
Real Madrid are two points behind the
duo and can go top with victory at Malaga
later yesterday. Barca coach Pep Guardiola
sprung a surprise with midfield star Xavi
back in the starting line-up after tendonitis
ruled him out of Spain’s two Euro 2012 qualifiying matches.
Villa shrugged off a knock to face old club

Valencia for the first time since he left the
club for Barcelona in a 40-million-euro summer move. Valencia coach Unai Emery surprisingly left winger Juan Mata on the substitutes in a conservative line-up but the
visitors attacked from the first whistle.
Barcelona were sluggish but picked up
the pace and on 20 minutes Villa had his first
sight on goal but fluffed his lines.
Dani Alves prodded a pass to Villa but
the striker opted to square the ball rather
than shoot and it back-fired as his lay-off to
Puyol was cut out and the forward rued his
decision not to shoot on goal.
Valencia made him pay for the mistake
scoring on 37 minutes with Jeremy Mathieu
getting in behind the Barca backline before
laying off to Hernandez who watched on as
his half-blocked shot crept in.
Three minutes later Hernandez should
have scored again, however, with the goal at
his mercy the winger hit his shot straight at
Victor Valdes.
Barca almost equalised on the stroke of
half-time through Lionel Messi with a sensational block from Bruno Grau saving the
day. The hosts were level though two minutes after the break with Iniesta surging for-

ward before feeding Xavi who returned the
ball to his team-mate who finished brilliantly.
Barca were a different side thereafter
and Villa had a header acrobatically saved by
Sanchez on the hour mark. But two minutes
later Puyol met Xavi’s cross with a bullet
header to put Barca ahead.
It was one-way traffic in the second half
with Villa twice denied by former teammate Cesar while Messi had a chested goal
ruled out for offside.
Valencia hope to bounce back from this
defeat with a Champions League group
match at Scottish side Rangers on
Wednesday while Barcelona host FC
Copenhagen in their group game on the
same day. On Monday second-placed
Villarreal, a point behind Valencia and
Barcelona, travel to Hercules looking to
continue their impressive start.
Earlier Atletico Madrid moved to within
three points of the leading duo with a 2-0
win over derby rivals Getafe at the Vicente
Calderon yesterday. An unfortunate own
goal from goalkeeper Jordi Codina on 37
minutes and a Diego Costa strike on 72 minutes helped Atletico move fifth. — AFP

Pato sends
Milan on top
ROME: A brace from Brazilian forward Pato
sent AC Milan top of Serie A for the first time
this season following a 3-1 victory over Chievo
at the San Siro yesterday.
Milan are a point clear of previous leaders
Lazio, although the Romans can regain the
lead today. Pato took his tally to four goals in
four league games before a Zlatan Ibrahimovic
own goal gave Chievo hope.
But Robinho scored his first goal for the
Italians to secure the victory in injury time.
Milan opened the scoring with their first clear
cut chance on 18 minutes.
Luca Antonini burst forward and fed
Ibrahimovic down the left, the big Swede’s
first time cross sailing over Chievo’s backtracking defence where Pato caught it sumptuously on the volley, sending the ball back
across Stefano Sorrentino and inside the far
post. Chievo had a chance to hit back on 28
minutes but Frenchman Kevin Constant didn’t
get hold of his left-foot shot, allowing Christian
Abbiati to parry and then Constant’s right foot
follow-up was no better, allowing the goalkeeper to push the ball around the post for a
corner.
As often happens when a little team plays a
big one, Chievo were made to pay two minutes
later. It was the same combination that made

Coloccini
rescues
Newcastle
Newcastle 2

Wigan 2

ITALY: AC Milan Brazilian forward Robinho (left) celebrates with
his Brazilian teammate Ronaldinho after scoring during a Italian
League match against Chievo at the San Siro stadium. —AP
the first as Ibrahimovic got up from the turf to
take a quick free-kick and play Pato in behind
Chievo’s napping rearguard, the Brazilian forward smashing home a fierce shot into the top
far corner.
The two-goal cushion allowed Milan to sit
back and hit Chievo on the counter-attack and
they could have doubled their lead by the
break. First Ibrahimovic chipped weakly into
Sorrentino’s grateful arms when well placed
and then Pato ran from the halfway line and cut

inside from the left but couldn’t beat the goalkeeper.
Milan were comfortable and midway
through the second period coach Massimiliano
Allegri replaced Pato with Robinho, but no
sooner had he done that, Chievo were back in
the game.
An inswinging corner from the right was
flicked on by Sergio Pellissier and came off
Ibrahimovic to deceive Abbiati and sneak
inside the far post on 70 minutes. —AFP

Rangers go clear after
second-half fireworks
GLASGOW: Rangers moved three points clear
at the top of the Scottish Premier League as
four second-half goals helped them come from
behind to defeat Motherwell 4-1 at Ibrox yesterday.
Motherwell, yet to concede away from
home this season, looked shell-shocked as
they lost four goals in 19 minutes as Rangers
ran riot.
Nick Blackman had headed Motherwell
ahead as Rangers trailed at the break for the
third match running but Steven Naismith started the remarkable comeback just 90 seconds
into the second-half.
A stunning strike from Steven Davis gave
Rangers the lead in the 62nd minute before
Kenny Miller’s 11th of the season and Vladimir
Weiss sealed the win.
The win made it eight out of eight for the
Gers whose Old Firm rivals Celtic are away to
Dundee United today. Walter Smith admitted
his side had been slow to start the game.
“I think the game after the internationals is
always one managers worry about and we had
no complaints at half-time,” the Gers gaffer
said.
“We picked up in the second-half and had a
25 minute spell which was terrific for us and
we’re obviously delighted to keep our run of
wins going.”
At Ibrox Neil Alexander came in for the

BOLTON: Bolton striker Ivan
Klasnic nicked a late goal to
clinch a 2-1 win over Stoke and
then got his marching orders in a
dramatic finish at the Reebok
Stadium yesterday.
Owen Coyle’s side looked
likely to be held to a draw when
Stoke’s Rory Delap ended a 21month goal drought in the second
half to cancel out South Korea
winger Lee Chung-yong’s firsthalf opener.
But substitute Klasnic buried
the winner in the final moments
before being dismissed for two
bookable offences soon after his
first goal in the league this season.It was a chaotic finish to a
game that also saw rival fans
clash in one corner of the stadium
before police and stewards intervened.
Stoke looked a side on the rise
after a run of three wins and a
draw from their previous four
league matches and they should
have taken the lead when
Matthew Etherington shot
straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen with
only the Bolton goalkeeper to
beat.Bolton made them pay as
Lee opened the scoring in the
22nd minute. After playing a onetwo with skipper Kevin Davies,
Lee was lucky to see a follow-up
attempted pass ricochet into his
path. The Korean needed no second invitation as he quickly
pounced on the loose ball to stab
a first-time effort past Thomas
Sorensen.
Stoke were almost level just
after the half-hour, only for
Jermaine Pennant’s dipping freekick to strike the top of the crossbar.After referee Peter Walton
ignored furious penalty appeals
from Stoke as a loose ball rolled
over Zat Knight’s arm, Bolton
wasted a chance to increase their
lead. Sorensen initially produced
a superb one-handed save in turning aside a rasping drive from
Martin Petrov. From the ensuing
corner to the far post, Davies
missed a sitter as he steered a
header wide when the ball should
have been nestling in the bottom
corner of the net. —AFP

suspended Allan McGregor while Kyle
Lafferty was given the nod to partner Miller up
front. Naismith and Lafferty came close early
on before Weiss showed some neat close control to get away from three Motherwell players
who were surrounding him, but his shot on the
spin went harmlessly wide.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic and when a
loose ball broke to the unmarked Lasley deep
in the Rangers box the Northern Ireland captain should have done better than sending his
volley wide.
Blackman then showed some fantastic footwork before firing over as Well looked dangerous going forward. On the half-hour mark
Steven Whittaker collected a pass on the byline before cutting in and firing a low shot
which Darren Randolph blocked with his legs
and the defender then headed the rebound
over.
With the break approaching Motherwell
took advantage of some lapse defending to take
the lead in the 44th minute. Jamie Murphy
fired in a cross from the right and the
unmarked Blackman rose to connect with a
header from a couple of yards out which
bounced off the underside of the bar and in.
It took Rangers just 90 seconds of the second-half to draw level. With the Motherwell
defence all looking for off-side Naismith collected a Davis threaded pass and bundled the

ball into the net from close range.
Motherwell had a rare chance on the hour
mark after some good build up but Steven
Jennings was well off target with his shot.
However two minutes later Davis fired
Rangers ahead. The Northern Irishman drove
at the retreating Motherwell defence before
sending a superb rising shot into the top corner of the net from 18 yards.
Motherwell had barely time to regroup
when Miller increased the lead in the 65th
minute as he sent a diving header past
Randolph after connecting with Naismith’s
cross from the left.
The rout was completed a minute later
when Weiss scored his first for Rangers. The
Slovakian played a neat one-two with Lafferty
before rounding Randolph and slotting home to
make it 4-1.
“I genuinely felt we had a chance at halftime but to lose a goal so quickly was very disappointing and takes the heart out of you,”
Motherwell boss Craig Brown said.
“We were not resolute enough in the second-half and didn’t show the conviction that we
could win the game.” Elsewhere St Johnstone
drew 1-1 with Inverness Caledonian Thistle,
St Mirren stayed bottom as their game with
Hamilton ended 2-2, Hearts won 1-0 away to
Aberdeen and Hibernian defeated Kilmarnock
2-1. —AFP

NEWCASTLE: A 94th-minute
equaliser by Fabio Coloccini
earned Newcastle a 2-2 draw at
home to Wigan yesterday and
prevented Charles N’Zogbia
from enjoying a winning St
James’ Park return.
Newcastle old boy N’Zogbia
scored twice in two minutes
mid-way through the first half to
give Wigan a 2-0 lead at the
break, before substitute Shola
Ameobi sparked the hosts’ fightback in the 72nd minute.
Ameobi’s goal meant Wigan
lost their record as the only
Premier League team not to
concede on their travels this
season and worse was to come
in the fourth minute of added
time when Coloccini powered
home from Andy Carroll’s flickon.
The point provisionally takes
both sides up two places in the
standings, with Wigan now 12th
and Newcastle 13th.
N’Zogbia’s first goal arrived
in the 22nd minute, the French
winger
out-jumping
Mike
Williamson to dispatch Franco di
Santo’s deflected cross with a
thumping header.
Di Santo was again the
provider a minute later. His ball
found its way to N’Zogbia, who
smashed a volley inside the near
post from the edge of the area.
Chris Hughton’s home team did
not gather their senses until the
closing minutes of the half.
After Carroll won a corner
with a dangerous volleyed
cross, Williamson’s header from
the resulting set-piece was
scrambled off the line by
Emmerson Boyce. Newcastle
have flattered to deceive since a
6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in
their second game raised hopes
of a swashbuckling return to the
top flight and they were booed
off the pitch by the home fans at
the interval. It took a superb
clearance from Gary Caldwell to
prevent Newcastle reducing the
arrears just before the hour, as
Carroll looked to get on the end
of James Perch’s inviting centre. —AFP

BIRMINGHAM:
Carlo
Ancelotti missed a golden
opportunity to pile on the misery for Sir Alex Ferguson as
Chelsea were held to a 0-0
draw at Villa Park yesterday.
The rampaging Premier
League leaders had the
chance to send a chilling
warning to Old Trafford-just
hours after United squandered
more points at in front of their
own fans.
But Ancelotti’s Blues were
unable to punish the carelessness of their main title rivals
and departed Villa Park after
extending their poor run to
just one win in their last 12
visits.
Nicolas Anelka will spend
the majority of the next 48

hours-ahead of the Champions
League tie with Spartak
Moscow-wondering how he
failed to stretch Chelsea’s
lead at the top to seven
points.
The French striker somehow sent a downward header
from Ashley Cole’s cross over
the bar from six yards and that
summed up a disappointing
day for the double winners.
Villa manager Gerard
Houllier’s plans to upset his
good friend Ancelotti were
ruined by Emile Heskey’s calf
injury 24 hours before kickoff. Much of the French manager’s battle plan centred
around using the retired
England striker-who he
believes can be Villa’s own
version of Chelsea’s absent
Ivorian talisman Didier
Drogba.
With Heskey unfit and
Drogba suffering from a virus,
both sides lacked that extra
menace in crucial areas and
Villa’s loss of young England
winger Marc Albrighton, also

to a virus, also did little to
help their chances of extending their excellent record on
home soil against the double
winners.
Albrighton’s loss was
Stephen Ireland’s gain and the
Republic of Ireland international was given the two best
opportunities of an opening 45
minutes in which Villa fractionally held the upper hand.
Chelsea had kicked off four
points clear at the top of the
table, but without the physical
presence of Drogba and the
goals of Frank Lampard they
do not appear the same scary
prospect.
They could easily have
been two goals behind at the
interval. Ireland clipped one
shot from inside the area
beyond Petr Cech and wide of
the far post af ter Stewart
Downing’s burst of speed and
pin-point pass set up the
opening.
And on the verge of the
interval, Stiliyan Petrov stumbled into the Chelsea box and

pulled the ball back for Ireland
to unleash a venomous effort
which Branislav Ivanovic
threw himself at to block.
Ancelotti maybe had one
eye on the trip to Russia to
face Spartak Moscow when he
removed Ramires in the second half for young Josh
McEachran, but Chelsea were
well short of ideas by that
stage.
They were very nearly rescued from another disappointing visit to Villa Park when
the woodwork prevented
them from taking the lead 13
minutes from time.
Ivanovic sent a header
smashing into the post from
Florent Malouda’s corner with
Brad Friedel well beaten, but
it would have been harsh on
Villa. They were denied a
potential winner of their own
moments later when Ashley
Young’s free-kick was fizzed
into the penalty area and was
glanced on by Ciaran Clark
beyond Cech, only to bounce
back off the post. —AFP

Arsenal
see off
Birmingham
Arsenal 2

Birmingham 1

LONDON:
Marouane
Chamakh fired Arsenal to a
2-1 win over Bir mingham
yesterday, but the comefrom-behind victor y was
soured by Jack Wilshere’s
90th minute dismissal.
Nikola Zigic had given
Birmingham a 33rd minute
lead that was cancelled out
by Samir Nasri’s 41st minute
penalty at the Emirates
Stadium.
Chamakh’s second-half
strike ensured Arsenal
claimed their first victory in
four league games, but
Wilshere’s challenge and his
subsequent three-match suspension took the edge off the
success.
Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger has spoken out about
the number of rash challenges in the Premier
L eague this season and
repeated his concerns in the
match programme.
He will have been frustrated, therefore, to see
Wilshere’s lunge on Zigic
that prompted referee Martin
Atkinson to issue a straight
red card.
This was Wenger’s 800th
game in charge of Arsenal
and, after successive defeats
to West Bromwich Albion
and Chelsea, it was important the Gunners marked the
occasion with a win to avoid
losing more ground in the
title race.
Arsenal had enough pressure in the early stages here
to suggest they would easily
recover from those defeats.

LONDON: Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner (right) goes for the ball with
Birmingham City’s Roger Johnson during their English Premiership
League soccer match at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium. —AP
England midfielder Wilshere
was presented with the
club’s player of the month
award for September before
kick-off and the teenager
quickly demonstrated why by
starting a series of attacking
moves.
The most enterprising
came after just five minutes
when
the
midfielder
exchanged passes with
Chamakh to create an opening that was snuffed out
when City defender Stephen
Carr blocked the Moroccan’s
shot.
The home side thought
they had made the breakthrough in the 18th minute
when Sebastien Squillaci
rose to head home from
Nasri’s free kick only for the
effort to be ruled offside.
The momentum of the
game was moving in
Arsenal’s favor with the visitors only rarely threatening

Lukasz Fabianski’s goal.
Yet Birmingham still managed to conjure the game’s
opening goal in the 33rd
minute when they unpicked
the home defence with
alarming ease.
Zigic’s height was always
likely to trouble the Arsenal
centre backs and the Serbian
was allowed to climb unhindered to meet Keith Fahey’s
left wing cross and direct a
header beyond Fabianski.
It was Zigic’s first
Premier L eague goal and
should have been quickly followed by a second Blues
effort when Fahey scooped a
volley over the bar from
close range.
Arsenal needed to stage a
swift response and they were
level four minutes before the
break in controversial circumstances when Chamakh
went down under a challenge
from Scott Dann.

Birmingham insisted the
striker had dived and television replays showed there
had been only the minimum
of contact but that was
enough to persuade Atkinson
to award a penalty that was
expertly dispatched by Nasri.
The Arsenal midfielder
was fortunate to remain on
the field three minutes later,
however, when he clashed
with Liam Ridgwell and
appeared to kick out at the
City full-back.
The two incidents suggested that luck was on
Arsenal’s side but there was
nothing fortunate about their
second goal that came two
minutes into the second half.
Wilshere was again
involved, linking this time
with Alex Song before
releasing Chamakh who
escaped a flimsy challenge
from Carr and stabbed the
ball past Foster.— AFP

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex
Ferguson’s decision to bench
Wayne Rooney backfired after
Manchester United threw away
a 2-0 lead to allow West
Bromwich Albion a 2-2 at Old
Trafford.
A Patrice Evra own goal and
a howler from Edwin Van der
Sar which let in Somen Tchoyi
enabled West Brom to cancel out
first half goals from Javier
Hernandez and Nani which had
left United in control.
It was a fifth draw in eight
Premier League matches for
United, and the third time this
season that Ferguson’s men
have had to settle for a draw
after holding seemingly unbeatable leads.
After conceding late goals to
draw 3-3 at Everton, it was also
the second time this season they
have given up a two-goal lead to
drop points.
It had looked like United
returned to form when
Hernandez scored his first
Premier League goal after just
four minutes and Nani doubled
the lead midway through the
first half. But Evra’s own-goal
reduced the deficit after half
time and Tchoyi completed the
job.
After the midweek disagreement over the nature of
Rooney’s previous absence the
striker contradicted Ferguson’s
claims that he had an ankle
injury - the England man started
on the bench.
Owen Hargreaves was also
omitted from the squad after
Ferguson rejected Dr Richard
Steadman’s claims that the midfielder was ready to make a first
start in two years after a knee
injury.
But United showed they
could cope without Rooney with
less than five minutes on the
clock. Hernandez showed great
anticipation to follow up a Nani
free kick, which was blocked
feebly by Scott Carson, and the
Mexico forward touched in.
West Brom should have
pulled level when a MarcAntoine Fortune cross split the
United defence, only for Chris
Brunt to miss the target from
just a couple of yards out.
Dimitar Berbatov was full of
confidence after a fine start to
the campaign, sending a fine
flick through for Nani and also
just missing with a long-range
effort.
But he should have doubled
the lead when he was picked out
by a cross from Michael Carrick,
who was making his first league
start of the season, only to turn
his shot wide of the near post
from about five yards out.
Brunt shot wide from distance as he tried to make for his
early error. But another mistake
from the visitors allowed United
to move further ahead.Nicky
Shorey slipped on half-way,
allowing Nani to drive towards
goal, swap passes with Berbatov
and then guide a shot past
Carson.
Giggs limped off just before
half time but Ferguson chose to
bring on Darron Gibson rather
than Rooney. Just af ter the
restart, fine work from Nani
resulted in him cross for
Nemanja Vidic, whose header
came back off the post.
But four minutes into the
second period, West Brom
pulled one back with an owngoal through Evra. Five minutes
later, the visitors were back on
level terms thanks to more
dreadful defending from United.
Brunt’s looping cross
appeared to be straight-forward
for Van der Sar but the veteran
goalkeeper spilled the ball and
Tchoyi tapped in to pull West
Brom level.
That had the fans chanting
for Rooney and United pressed
forward, with Carson making a
fine block from Evra’s thumping
shot. Nani also fired a free kick
well over the bar as United
attempted to respond.
Finally Rooney was thrown
on with 18 minutes lef t as
United chased a win. But the
England striker passed up the
chance to pull United ahead
from an indirect free kick when
his shot was blocked. — AFP

LONDON: Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez (right) celebrates
scoring against West Bromwich Albion with teammate Patrice Evra
during the English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford. — AP

Honors even in basement battle
Wolves 1

West Ham 1

LONDON: The battle of the
Premier League basement finished 1-1 here yesterday after
a Mark Noble penalty handed
West Ham a share of the
points to frustrate Wolves at
Molineux.
A blunder from West Ham
keeper Robert Green had

allowed Wolves to get off to a
strong start after only 10 minutes, the England international miscuing a punched clearance only as far as Matthew
Jarvis.
Jarvis made no mistake to
rifle home his volley from
eight yards to leave Wolves
dreaming of three points that
would have lifted them out of
the relegation zone.
However,
Mick
McCarthy’s men were unable
to add to their tally and soon
after the restart the Hammers
hauled themselves back into
contention from the penalty

spot after Kevin Foley clattered into Victor Obinna.
Referee Mark Clattenburg
had no hesitation in pointing
to the spot and Hammers talisman Noble duly stepped up
to thunder in a spot-kick with
Marcus Hahnemann well
beaten.
West
Ham
forward
Frederic Piquionne thought
he had given the visitors a
dramatic late winner when he
bundled the ball into the net,
only for Clattenburg to disallow the effort for handball and
show the striker a yellow
card. — AFP

Huddlestone’s strike sinks Fulham
Fulham 1

Tottenham 2
LONDON: Tom Huddlestone
gave Tottenham a controversial 2-1 win at Fulham yesterday after his goal was initially
ruled out for offside.
Harry Redknapp’s team
trailed to Diomansy Kamara’s
first half goal at Craven
Cottage,
but
Roman
Pavlyuchenko equalised a
minute later to set the stage
for Huddlestone’s dubious
winner.
Tottenham
defender
William Gallas appeared to be
offside when Huddlestone’s
second half strike flashed into
the net and the linesman
flagged to disallow the goal,
only for referee Mike Dean to
over-rule the decision to
leave Fulham fuming.
Hughes sought a meeting
with Dean after the match
only to be told the official had
already left the ground. That
was after the referee turned
down an interview request
from the media to allow him
to clarify his position over the

goal.
“The goal should have
been wiped out because
Gallas is in an offside position
as the ball is struck by
Huddlestone,” Fulham boss
Mark Hughes fumed.
“Mark Schwarzer has to
hold his position until the ball
actually reaches where Gallas
is, because he’s thinking at
some point Gallas may stick a
toe out and deflect it.
“To say he’s not interfering
or not in his eyeline is completely at odds with the truth.
“I’d like a little bit of clarification. If he’s made a genuine
mistake, he’ll admit to it, but
it doesn’t do us any good so
what’s the point?”
With a daunting Champions
League trip to Inter Milan
looming
in
midweek,
Redknapp shuffled his pack
and handed Brazilian midfielder Sandro his full Premier
League debut, while Gallas
returned from injury to partner Ledley King in defence.
Fulham should have taken
the lead in the 14th minute
when Kamara, unmarked just
yards from goal, glanced
Simon Davies’ corner wide.
Spurs were struggling to
keep the hosts at bay and
Fulham lef t-back Carlos
Salcido surged forward before
lashing a shot narrowly off-

target.
A penalty appeal for handball against Tottenham
defender Alan Hutton was
waved away, but Fulham finally made the breakthrough in
the 30th minute.
Clint Dempsey got past
King and crossed for Kamara
to fire home his first league
goal for almost a year. But
Fulham’s lead lasted just one
minute as Rafael Van der
Vaart controlled superbly in
the box penalty area and
chipped against the crossbar,
with Pavyluchenko converting
the rebound.
A fine save from Spurs
goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes
kept out Kamara’s half-volley
just before half-time, while
Redknapp’s team lost King to
injury moments later.
Redknapp sent on Aaron
Lennon in place of Sandro at
half-time and the England
winger almost made an immediate impact as his cross
picked out Van der Vaart,
whose close-range volley was
well saved by Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Fulham defender Chris
Baird forced Gomes into an
equally good save with a header from a Davies corner. But
Tottenham took the lead in
controversial circumstances in
the 63rd minute. —AFP

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale (left) is tackled by
Fulham’s Chris Baird during their English Premier League soccer
match at Craven Cottage. —AP

NBK Kuwait Equity
Fund, the best
fund of the year

23

Paragon features
in four
international books

25

Ford to sell most
of stake in Japan’s
Mazda: Reports

26

Sunday, October 17, 2010

www.kuwaittimes.net

Weak dollar won’t boost
global economy: Expert
Forex.com holds presentation on inter-market correlations
By Nisreen Zahreddine
KUWAIT: A presentation entitled ‘Inter-market
correlations and Forex markets’ was held at the
JW Mariott on Thursday. Brian Dolan, Chief
Currency Specialist at Forex.com was the
keynote speaker. He discussed with journalists
that attended the presentation about his views
on global market movements for the year 2011.
Dolan expressed his fears and a slightly pessimistic overview of 2011, in terms of international economy. As for the US dollar, he
explained that it is a useless move to weaken
the dollar to boost economy. This is because
weakening the dollar will cause lower purchasing ability that reflects negatively on the economy of the US.
He began with an overview of Forex company for foreign exchange operated by Gain
Capital Holding. Dolan explained that they had
customers and trading partners in more than
140 countries, an award-winning trading platform which transacts nearly $250 billion per
month. It provides execution, clearing, custody,
technology products and services to an institutional client base including asset managers, broker/dealers and other financial services firms.
Dolan explained in his presentation, the
concept of correlations as relationships
between currency and other assets such as
equities, stocks, gold, and other commodities.
It is a numerical expression of the relation
between two assets that range from +1 to -1 in
normal terms. He distinguished this kind of
relation to be non co-existing relations between
the two items, that is when the dollar is stagnant. The oil price should not be moving but oil
might react negatively if dollar raises. This is
because the currency market is a moveable
market where more than three trillion dollars
are traded every day. On the other hand, the oil
market is a more stabilized one and smaller
than the currency market. It, however, involves
mutual influence. Currencies, as he stressed,
are a major motivator nowadays in stock markets. The margin of positive correlations and
negative correlations varies, for instance if the
dollar went up by +1, the gold might go up by
+1 . This the normal margin and as long as it is
a small number, it is referred to as to be positive correlation. While if negative, the margin
of number difference will be wide such as: +9

KUWAIT: Brian Dolan, Chief Currency Specialist at Forex.com speaks. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
and -9 for instance.
Correlations, as he added to explain, are due
to confluence, and form fundamental economic
relationships. For instance: if European rates
are increasing then the Euro must naturally
increase. Those relations are a natural result of
trader’s activities. They cause correlations.
Dolan said that the prevalence of systematic
trading is rising nowadays in international markets.
He emphasized on the role of central banks
and their influence on the interest rate - a
major determination on asset trading.
Correlations between two major currencies are
similarly different from the relation with the
currency and assets. For instance, if euro rises,
dollar must plunge in return and vice versa. In
this regard, he said that there are strong collateral relations between US dollar and equity
market on one hand, and with the oil market on
the other hand. Where the performance of US
equities, for example, have an influence over
the performance of British pound since the
British are the largest foreign investors in the
US.

The presentation also included figures
and numbers about the performance and
correlations of major FX currencies and
other assets such as oil and gold, and com-

modities and their correlation with US dollar for 1 year and 5 years and 10 years. It
was last updated during the last six
months.

Origins of correlations between Oil and FX
• Oil is priced in dollars which is the exporter purchasing power
• Weaker dollar may increase oil demand outside US
• Lower dollars may see allocation shift to energy assets
• Oil producers’ currency strengthens on investment flows
• Oil especially susceptible to market shocks

Obama: End tax breaks
to stop overseas hiring
WASHINGTON: President Barack
Obama urged Congress to end tax
breaks that reward some US companies with overseas subsidiaries and
encourage those businesses to create
jobs in other countries.
Yet it’s an idea that has raised concerns even among some lawmakers in
the president’s own party. At issue is
a bill, now stalled in the Senate, that
would do away with some tax credits
and deferrals for US companies for
operations abroad.
“There is no reason why our tax
code should actively reward them for
creating jobs overseas,” Obama said in
his weekly radio and Internet address
yesterday. “Instead, we should be
using our tax dollars to reward companies that create jobs and businesses
within our borders.” Though Obama
singled out Republican opposition, the
bill also failed to get support from
some Democrats, including the chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, Sen. Max Baucus. He has
expressed concern that the change
would put the US at a competitive disadvantage. The ending of the tax provisions has run into opposition from
business groups, including the
National
Association
of
Manufacturers.
Obama said that while companies
that conduct business internationally
do make an important contribution to
the US economy, it doesn’t make
sense to grant them tax breaks when
companies at home are struggling to
rebound from the economic crisis.
Obama has said he wants revenue
collected from ending the tax provisions to go to other business tax
breaks, by making permanent
research and development tax credits
and allowing businesses next year to
write off all new equipment costs.
In the Republican address, Rep.
Mike Pence urged House Speaker

WILMINGTON: President
Barack Obama speaks during a fundraiser for
Delaware
Democratic
Senate candidate Chris
Coons on Friday at the
Grand Opera House in
Wilmington, Delaware. —AP
Nancy Pelosi to call Congress back
into session to take an immediate vote
on whether to extend Bush-era tax
cuts.
“The prosperity of the American
people is more important than the
political fortunes of any politician or
any political party,” Pence said.
Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid have said the tax issue will
be taken up after the Nov. 2 election.
The tax cuts have been a point of contention between the president and
Republicans in the lead-up to the Nov
2 elections. The Republicans want to
extend the tax cuts for all Americans,
including the top income earners,
while Obama wants to extend the tax
cuts only for the middle class — those
families earning less than $250,000 a
year. - AP

US moves to avert China clash,
but nods to pre-election ire
WASHINGTON: The United
States’ complex trade relations
with China were laid bare Friday as
Washington struggled to balance
pre-election anger at home with
efforts to give US firms a fair shake
against Chinese rivals.
Amid rising anger that Chinese
policies are putting Americans out
of work, US officials moved to forestall a currency battle with Beijing
while probing its subsidies to
green technology companies.
The Treasury Department
delayed publishing a controversial
report on China’s currency policies
until after mid-term elections and a
key G20 meeting in midNovember.
The report, which could have
labeled China a currency manipulator and opened the path for US
sanctions on Chinese goods, was
due to be released by Friday.

The delay avoids the prospect
of a bitter trade dispute between
two powers, who have faced off
over accusations that Beijing keeps
the yuan undervalued to gain an
unfair trade advantage.
Currency tensions boiled over
at last week’s annual meetings of
the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), with China rejecting calls
for a quick yuan revaluation.
But ahead of the Group of 20
meetings,
the
Treasury
Department sounded a conciliatory
tone, recognizing “China’s actions
since early September to accelerate the pace of currency appreciation, while noting it is important to
sustain this course.”
A higher valued yuan would
make Chinese exports more
expensive and exports from other
nations more competitively
priced. — AFP

in the news

LYON: People demonstrate yesterday in Lyon as part of a national day of mass rallies against pension reform. Unions want to pummel the
government into backing down on its plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, staging strikes on weekdays and mass demonstrations in cities at the weekend. — AFP

French protesters rally over pension reform

PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of people began
marching in cities across France yesterday in
the latest protest of a mass campaign against
President Nicolas Sarkozy’s flagship pension
reforms.
Sarkozy is determined to stand firm on his
plans to raise the retirement age and stem a
ballooning pension shortfall, but unions have
staged weeks of nationwide demonstrations to
try to force him to back down. Five-day-old rail
and refinery strikes are piling pressure on the
government by disrupting travel.
Public and private sector employees and
students began marching in dozens of cities,
with the biggest crowd assembling in Paris.
The mood was upbeat, with disco music blaring, horns honking and chants of “All
Together.”
France’s powerful trade unions hope for a
similar turnout to their last weekend rally on
Oct. 2, which they said drew nearly 3 million
people nationwide, though police estimates

were lower.
“We have several million people in the
street who support us and believe in us,” said
CFDT union leader Francois Chereque, at the
main protest in Paris. “The only one blocking
the country is the government.” Five straight
days of strikes over the unpopular reform have
cut train services and grounded flights.
Walkouts at oil refineries have hit supply at
nearly 2 percent of France’s petrol stations.
Economy Minister Christine Lagarde urged
people not to panic over fuel. The government
has said it has ample fuel stocks that can keep
the nation running for at least a month.
“We have reserves,” Lagarde told France’s
RTL radio, adding supply problems had affected 230 petrol stations out of a total 13,000 in
the country. “People mustn’t panic,” she said.
Sarkozy has vowed to push ahead with his
pension reform, saying it is the only way to
stop a 32 billion euro ($44.7 billion) annual
pension shortfall ballooning to 50 billion by

2020.
Lagarde told RTL that gradually lifting the
minimum and full retirement ages by two
years, to 62 and 67 respectively, would be less
painful than raising pension contributions or
trimming retirement benefits for the 15 million
people in France currency receiving them.
Both the government and unions will be
looking closely at Saturday’s turnout. Unions
said nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday
drew 3.5 million protesters. The interior ministry put the figure at 1.23 million.
The government’s main concern is youth
protesters becoming rowdy. Riot police used
tear gas on Friday to disperse crowds in the
city of Lyon. Dozens of students were arrested
across the country and several police officers
were injured.
Police in Paris have orders to not use rubber bullets, after a youth protester was injured
by one during the week.
Rail services were reduced yesterday, but

flights out of Paris’s Orly airport were back to
normal following disruption on Friday from a
strike by runway workers.
France has a tradition of overpowering
unpopular government proposals through
street militancy, though polls suggest people
are coming to terms with the fact that delaying
retirement, in line with other European countries, is becoming inevitable.
The French parliament has approved the
pension bill’s key points and the Senate will
vote on the legislation on Wednesday. Unions
plan to meet on Thursday to discuss further
action.
“The momentum is still there, whether the
reform is approved or not,” Jean-Claude Mailly,
head of the more radical Force Ouvriere union,
told French television.
Strikes during the week at French oil ports
and refineries put pressure on fuel supplies
and cut the flow at a pipeline running into Paris
and international airports. — Reuters

JCDecaux wins deal
for 26 Saudi airports
JEDDAH: French advertising giant
JCDecaux said yesterday its Saudi subsidiary had won exclusive rights for advertising at all 26 airports in Saudi Arabia.
The 10-year contract was granted by the
Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation
to JCDecaux ATA, and includes the busy
international airports in Jeddah, Riyadh,
Dammam and Medina and 22 domestic
terminals, the company said. More than 45
million passengers passed through the airports in 2009, including 39.4 million in the
four international airports, the company
said. Passenger traffic in the Middle East
grew 7.1 percent in 2009, the fastest
regional growth in the world, it said.
JCDecaux ATA is 60 percent-owned by the
French company and 40 percent by Saudi
partner ATA.
Mozilo gets record
fine, BofA also to pay
LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO:
Former Countrywide chief Angelo Mozilo
agreed to a settlement of $67.5 million to
resolve charges of duping the home
lender’s investors while lining his own
pockets, but Bank of America Corp will
pick up two-thirds of the tab. The flamboyant poster boy of the subprime mortgage
market’s boom and bust struck a lastminute deal with the US Securities and
Exchange Commission before his trial on

civil fraud charges was to start next week.
The most prominent executive charged by
regulators with wrongdoing linked to the
housing market collapse, Mozilo on Friday
became the recipient of the highest fine
ever dished out to an executive of a public
corporation.
CFO Dew ar leaving
UAE’s Dana Gas
DUBAI: UAE’s Dana Gas said James
Dewar, its group chief financial officer, is
leaving the oil and gas company for personal reasons. A new CFO will be
announced later, Dana said in a statement.
Dolce & Gabbana faces
tax evasion charge
ROME: Italian prosecutors have accused
the fashion house Dolce & Gabbana of
failing to declare revenues of around 840
million euros ($1.2 billion), Italy’s main
business daily reported yesterday.
Investigators have closed their inquiry
against founders Domenico Dolce and
Stefano Gabbana, as well as five other
people, but no formal charges have yet
been presented, Il Sole 24 Ore said, citing
prosecutors in Milan. The allegation is
that Dolce & Gabbana created a company
in Luxembourg in 2004 and 2005 which
was given control of the group’s brands,
thereby avoiding Italian taxes. The
Luxembourg company, Gado, was in fact
run from Italy.

BUSINESS

22

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Profit-booking stops KSE advance
KUWAIT: After reaching its highest level since over a year on
Wednesday, October 13, the Kuwaiti market saw some profit
collecting after several stocks reached high levels. Despite
the last day turnaround, Global’s weighted General Index ended the week up by 0.54 percent and closed at 219.83 point. On
a year-to-date basis, the market gains escalated to 18.04 percent. On the other hand, Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) price
managed to cross above the 7,000 point level for the first time
this week since May 20 and closed at 7,010.5 point, up by
15.50 points (0.22 percent) for the week. Total market capitalization reached KD35.56bn. However, market breadth skewed
towards decliners with 82 stocks retreating against 57 advancing out of 167 shares traded last week.
Trading activity was mixed. Volume traded rose by 15.64
percent reaching 1.83bn shares changing hands at a total traded value of KD334.49mn (0.54 percent drop compared to the
week before). The trading volume was notably high on the
Investment Sector, which accounted for 34.12 percent
(623.90mn shares) of the total market traded volume.
International Financial Advisors was the biggest volume traded in the Investment sector with 90.48mn shares traded.
However, Investors Holding Group Company topped the market volume list for the week with 102.96mn shares
exchanged. On the value side, the Banking Sector saw the
most value traded with KD104.50mn exchanged, accounting
for 31.24 percent of the total market traded value. Six of the
Kuwaiti banks were seen in the top value traded stocks list
for the week, with Kuwait Finance House being the most
traded with KD31.66mn. However, the same list was topped
by Zain.
The stock saw KD37.41mn traded and ended the week up
by 2.94 percent at KD1.400. Sector-wise, Global Food Sector
Index was the biggest gainer, adding 2.21 percent to its value.
However the Services Sector was a prominent mover of the
market index as it ended the week up by 1.89 percent. Zain’s
gain (+2.94 percent), the biggest company in the Kuwaiti
market, was a notable mover of the sector index, also the 1.89
percent increase in the share price of Agility, another bluechip company, helped lifting up the index. In the same sector,
Hits Telecom Holding was the biggest gainer, adding 23.53
percent to its share price. Global Investment Index came
third, adding 0.90 percent to its value.
Noor Financial Investment Company was the biggest gainer in the market last week and topped the gainers list with
29.41 percent increase in its share price. On the other hand,
Kuwait Financing & Investment Company topped the losers
list, shedding 22.13 percent of its share value.
On the downside, Global Non-Kuwaiti Sector Index was
the biggest loser, shedding 0.93 percent of its value last week
as no gainers were seen in the sector. The insurance sector,
as measured by Global Insurance Index, came second, closing
down by 0.59 percent followed by a 0.22 percent drop in
Global Industrial Sector Index. The biggest Kuwaiti sector,
the Banking sector, was also down by 0.15 percent.
Global’s special indices closed with mixed performances.
Global Islamic Sharia Index was up by 0.10 percent. Global
Large Cap (Top 10) index also added 0.66 percent to its value
while Global Small Cap (Low 10) Index shed 0.80 percent.
M ac roe c on om ic n ew s
Kuwait inflation climbed to a 15-month high of 4.4 percent
year-on-year in August, mainly driven by a rise in food prices,
data showed last week. Inflation in the world’s fourth largest
oil exporter has been accelerating this year as the oil-reliant
economy recovers from last year’s sharp contraction.
Consumer price growth stood at 4.0 percent on an annual
basis in July, still well below a record high of 11.6 percent in
August 2008. On the month, prices in the OPEC member rose
0.4 percent following a 0.6 percent increase in the previous
month, data from the Central Statistical Office showed.
Central bank governors from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia voiced
their concerns last month about rising inflationary pressures
stemming from factors they cannot directly influence such as
food costs. Kuwait, unlike its fellow Gulf oil producers, abandoned the dollar peg in favor of a currency basket in 2007 to
rein in a sharp spike in inflation. Food prices, which account
for 18 percent of the Kuwaiti basket, soared by 1.2 percent
month-on-month in August, following a 3.1 percent jump in
the previous month. Housing prices, which have the largest
weight of 27 percent, were unchanged in August, following a
0.1 percent dip in July. Transport costs, the third biggest component, were flat. The central bank said last month it expected inflation to edge up to 4.5 percent towards the end of 2010.
Oi l Re lat e d N ew s
The price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped last week by $0.45
per barrel as it settled at $78.95 on Wednesday, October 13,
compared with a week earlier on Wednesday, October 06, the

GLOBAL DALY MARKET REPORT

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said. The drop in crude
oil prices came as the US dollar increased versus other major
currencies as a result to the cautiousness of investors that
preceded the issuance of the report of the US Federal System
on Tuesday. OPEC said that current oil prices supported the
growth levels, while Saudi Arabia hinted that OPEC would
likely keep production rates as it is.
Kuwait has raised the official selling price (OSP) for its
crude oil sales to Asian buyers for November by 20 cents to
$2.10 a barrel below the average of Oman/Dubai quotes,
traders said on Tuesday, October 12. Kuwait set its OSP at
$2.30 per barrel below the Oman/Dubai average for October
loading. Kuwait’s crude price formula is loosely linked to that
of Saudi Arabia’s Arab Medium grade. Kuwait’s cabinet
approved a draft decree appointing the chairman of Kuwait
National Petroleum Co (KNPC) Farouk Al-Zanki as the new
chief executive of KNPC. Kuwaiti Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad
Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah said that Zanki will hold the post at the
country’s top state oil company for three years. He replaces
Saad Al-Shuwaib. Energy policy in Kuwait, the world’s fourthlargest oil exporter, is set by a council that includes oil industry and other government officials.
Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) said it inaugurated
the first station for ED95 environment-friendly fuel in
Sweden. The company’s public relations and services director
Adnan Al-Qallaf said that the International Diesel Service
(IDS) is a driving force in the European Union (EU) financed
environmental project CleanTRUCK together with, among
others, the City of Stockholm, Scania, Volvo, Mercedes and
AGA Gas. The project, which will be conclude on 2013, aims
to establish stations for environment-friendly fuel for heavy
trucks, he said. The fuel consists of 95 percent ethanol and 5
percent ignition improvers, lubricants, and anticorrosive
agents, he added.
Ot h er loc al n ew s
Kuwait Energy Company, which operates in the Middle
East, Russia and Pakistan, plans to launch an initial public
offering (IPO) within nine months. Kuwait Energy said its
shares may be listed on the London and Kuwait Stock
Exchanges (KSE), subject to market conditions. The company had originally planned an IPO for the end of 2010 but
delayed those plans given weak global market conditions. The
privately held company’s shareholders also approved a plan to
increase its authorized share capital through a rights offering,
it said in a statement. Kuwait Energy’s capital will rise to
KD127mn ($448.4mn) from KD103.6mn dinars after the
rights issue of KD198.3mn shares at 155fils per share, the
company’s chair man and managing director Mansour
Abukhamseen said.
The government of Kuwait approved a draft decree on
Tuesday, October 12 to appoint Hamed Saleh Al-Saif as
Director General of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), Minister

of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun announced after
the cabinet meeting.
A consortium led by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering
and Construction Company has made the lowest bid of $2.6bn
for a long-delayed Kuwaiti causeway project, the tenders
committee said. The causeway, to be named after late Amir
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, is to link the capital Kuwait
City with the northern Subbiya area which is to become
home to a Silk City project. The state’s central tenders committee said the Hyundai bid was followed by an offer from a
consortium led by Bin Laden Group of Saudi Arabia that bid
$2.85bn for the 25-km causeway. The committee said the
project contractor, the public works ministry, will evaluate
the bids before making a final selection. The $77bn Silk City
aims to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route by becoming
a major free trade zone linking central Asia with Europe.
Head of Central Tenders Committee (CTC) Ahmad AlKulaib announced that the committee has awarded several
tenders worth approximately KD4bn in the last ten months.
Tenders worth KD1.9bn will be executed by various governmental sectors and tenders worth about KD2bn will be executed by the oil sector. Al-Kulaib said that the cost of these
tenders takes up 10 percent of the entire developmental plan.
Two new closed medical companies have been established
with a total capital of KD2mn. Al-Ashraf Healthcare and AlMuthanna for Medical Services have been founded as Kuwaiti
closed companies with a capital of KD1mn each involving
10mn shares worth 100fils/share. The new firms are active in
setting up, running and owning hospitals and offering household medical services to all public and private corporations.
They can contract doctors, nurses and technicians for working with them or for others both at home and abroad, and can
even establish specialized technical workshops as well as
car r y out maintenance works for medical equipment.
Furthermore, the freshly created businesses are entitled to
own real estate necessary for their activities, but this should
be only within the allowed limits as per law, and invest available financial surplus in financial portfolios.
Kuw a it S t oc k E x ch a n g e
UAE’s telecoms operator Etisalat is in talks with banks to
raise financing for its planned 46 percent stake acquisition in
Kuwait’s Zain and is considering an Islamic bond, bank loans
or both, Etisalat’s Chief Financial Officer Salem Ali Al
Sharhan said last week. He added that Abu Dhabi-based
Etisalat, which is 60 percent state-owned, will not receive
financing from the Abu Dhabi government.
Kuwait’s NBK Capital, the investment arm of National
Bank of Kuwait (NBK), is in talks to buy stakes in five firms
for a private equity fund, its Chief Executive Salah Al-Fulaij
said. “Right in the pipeline we have five firms,” he explained,
adding that one of deals was about to be finalized in Qatar,
while another firm was coming from top oil exporter Saudi

Arabia. The rest came from Turkey or other Gulf Arab states
such as the United Arab Emirates. NBK Capital is focusing
on “non-cyclical, defensive” sectors such as education, health
or food for its private equity business, he told.
Real estate developer Mazaya Qatar, an affiliate of Kuwaiti
developer Al- Mazaya Holding plans to finally list on Qatar
Exchange next week and said it earlier last week that it
would sign two deals worth $1.5bn to underpin long-term
confidence in the market, its chief executive officer Seraj Al
Baker said. He noted that the shariah compliant developer
will sign the property deals - a $500mn build and transfer
project and a second worth $1bn - with a major Qatari name.
He declined to provide further details on his announcement
on Monday.
Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) reported
that in partnership with Hyundai Corporation, is the lowest
bidders for tender No H.T/140 issued by the Ministry of
Public Works (MPW). Under the 5-year contract, CGC will
design and construct Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s
Sabiya Bridge Project at a total value of KD738.75mn. CGC
will carry out 20 percent of the contract works and will duly
update the KSE management of relevant updates. Kuwait
Projects Company Holding (KIPCO) and Fiarfax Financial
Holdings signed recently a deal to develop the insurance
market in the MENA region as part of an expansion plan.
Within the deal, Faifax, a global insurance and reinsurance
group based in Canada, bought 39.2 percent, around
KD59.8mn, of shares within Gulf Insurance Company (GIC)
from KIPCO.
National Cleaning Company reported that its fully owned
subsidiary was awarded a tender by the Public Authority for
Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources. The 3 year contract
is worth KD1.33mn. While General Administration of Civil
Aviation awarded a tender to a 90 percent subsidiary company. Tender value amounts to KD202,320 over a period of 3
years.
Heavy Engineering and Ship Building Company signed a
12-month contract with the US military on September 28.
Under the $8.32mn agreement, the company will recruit the
necessary workforce to maintain the US Army Vessels, at
Muhammad Al-Ahmad Naval Base. The company also inked a
contract No 415/2010-2011 with the Ministry of Interior at a
total value of KD1.30mn. Under the two-year agreement, the
company will maintain, install and supply ship spare parts.
Moreover it inked a subcontract with the main contractor of
Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) on September 27. Under the 17month agreement, the company will establish pipelines in
Mina Al-Ahmadi, to provide Al-Sabia and Doha power plants
with gas and oil at a total cost of KD18.33mn.
Jazeera Airways Company said that its unit Al Sahaab
Aircraft Leasing Company has signed a $155mn leasing contract with US airline firm Virgin. Al-Sahaab will lease four
A320 aircraft to Virgin for 10-years.
Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Company received
award letter No WKM/2009-2010 from the Central Tenders
Committee (CTC).
H ig h li g h t s o f t h e w e e k
Kuwait Financial Forum will be hosted in Kuwait later
this month under the auspices of His Highness the Prime
Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
and with attendance by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad AlHariri. The forum will feature participation of various Arab
financial, banking, and investment experts from Gulf countries and around the world. The Chief Executive Officer of
Economy and Business Group (organizer of the forum),
Raouf Abu Zaki stressed the importance of holding the
forum in Kuwait due to its strategic position in the financial
industry, banking and investment. Abu Zaki added that the
forum will coincide with Kuwait’s comprehensive development plan, which in turn presents several investment
opportunities for the private sector in Kuwait and in the
Arab region. “An annual forum has become a financial and
economic phenomenon which attracts top officials from the
Arab and international countries,” Abu Zaki added.
Aref Energy Holding Company signed an agreement to
buy a 36 percent stake of Kitara Ofil- one of the biggest
Indian companies operating in recording and analyzing data
of digging oil fields -at a total value of $4.10mn. Kitara Ofil
has a presence in Syria, Iran, north Iraq, Oman and other
countries.
The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), on October 07, 2010,
gave a nod to the request submitted by Kuwait Finance
House (KFH) to repurchase or offload 10 percent maximum
of its issued shares for further six months, as of the end
date of current approval on October 19, 2010. The bank
should abide by the CBK’s buyback rules and regulations, in
a d d i t i o n t o t h e p ro v i s i o n s o f A r t i c l e N o 1 1 5 B I S o f
Corporate Law.

NBK Kuwait Equity Fund,
the best fund of the year
Porsche driving experience on ice and snow

Driving a Porsche in
extreme conditions

KUWAIT: NBK Kuwait Equity Fund, a fund
managed by NBK Capital, delivers outstanding
returns despite turbulent times for markets.
A recent ranking of the top performing
Kuwait equity funds proved once again that
NBK Kuwait Equity Fund delivered the highest
returns during the first three quarters of this
year, outperforming all other similar funds.
The Fund delivered 37% year-to-date. A
closer examination of this performance shows
that the Fund exhibited exceptional performance during the first and third quarters, delivering close to 21% in each of the two quarters.
The Fund’s performance surpassed all the peers
listed on Zawya, showing tremendous value
added and long-term benefits to its investors.

mance and master - participants will learn how
to better master their vehicles by driving in
icy, yet controlled conditions.
The Precision Training Camps in Austria
and Finland offer an ideal platform for beginners. In the performance and master level
training courses, advanced drivers will go to
Finland where they will learn to handle a
Porsche in icy and snowy conditions on an ice
race course. These drivers will practice correct steering and braking as well as reacting to
load changes for safe cornering, among other
skills. For more information, please contact
Porsche Centre Kuwait, Tel: 247 910 00

New sports car winter program
KUWAIT: Breath-taking icy landscapes, icecovered mountains, frozen lakes and all kinds
of sports cars: This winter the Dr. Ing. h.c. F.
Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is once again offering a
wide range of opportunities to test Porsche
vehicles in extreme conditions. From January
to March 2011, motor sports fans can register
for diverse winter driving courses at the
Porsche Sport Driving School and the Porsche
Travel Club.
During the Porsche winter training courses, instructors will help participants hone
their driving skills and driving safety. In three
sequential training levels - precision, perfor-

Salah Y. Al-Fulaij, NBK Capital’s CEO, said
that “the Fund’s innovative and yet prudent
strategy has put it ahead of the crowd in terms
of long-term returns and rigorous risk management techniques. With the aim of ensuring consistency in performance, NBK Kuwait Equity
Fund has displayed, especially during challenging times, an outstanding performance in
absolute terms and relative to its peers.”
The Fund is managed by NBK Capital, the
leading investment management company in
the region, and a subsidiary of National Bank of
Kuwait. The Fund offers to its investors the
ability to invest in the Kuwaiti stock market,
with weekly liquidity and a minimum investment of KD 1,000.

KUWAIT: A top consultant from the
Citigroup recently joined the National Bank
of Kuwait’s advisory board, which is the first
board of its kind in the region. William
Rhodes, a former Citigroup CEO, has been a
main director for the group’s relations with
customers and investors from around the
world during the past five decades, in addition to playing a significant role in solving
the debts crisis that hit developing countries
during the 80s.
The NBK’s Advisory Council is chaired
by former British Prime Minister Sir John
Major, and consists of twenty two members
of an elite group of political, economic, business, and strategic personalities from around
the world. It plays an important role in providing consultations and contributing in lining the bank’s future strategies as well as its
presence at the international scene.

KUWAIT: Award-winning airline
Jazeera Airways yesterday reported
its operational performance for the
month of August, showing the airline
had once again had achieved a leading
market share over all Kuwaiti airlines
on the routes it serves, with the
exception of the Kuwait-Jeddah and
Kuwait-Riyadh routes due to low seatallocation restrictions on the airline
versus other Kuwaiti airlines.
The airline, which offers the most
competitive fares in the market all-day
every day, also reported that it maintained an on-time performance of 94%
for the month of August.
The today-issued report is based
on data from Kuwait’s Directorate
General for Civil Aviation (DGCA),
which also showed that Jazeera
Airways was the largest operator
among all airlines serving the KuwaitBeirut route (with a 29% market
share), and Kuwait-Sharm El Sheikh
route (with a 59% market share).
The report highlighted that Jazeera
Airways was also the largest operator
on both the Kuwait-Damascus route
(with a 37% markets share) and the
Kuwait-Luxor route (with a 57% market share).
Furthermore, the airline also had
the leading market share among
Kuwaiti airlines on the KuwaitIstanbul route, capturing 29% of the

market in August, making it the preferred airline for travel between
Kuwait and Istanbul.
In August, Jazeera Airways once
again captured the largest market
share among Kuwait-based airlines on
the two most competitive routes in
the airline’s network: Kuwait-Dubai
and Kuwait-Bahrain.
In addition to business destinations
like Dubai and Bahrain, the airline carried 7494 passengers between Kuwait

and Amman, capturing it a 32% market share of the entire market, an
increase by 5% over July.
Winner of Arabian Business
Magazine’s ‘Best in Aviation 2010’
award and Gold Winner of Magnum
Opus 2010 awards, Jazeera Airways
operates to 18 destinations across the
Middle East, including high demand
business cities like Dubai and Bahrain,
and exotic tourist destinations like
Sharm El Sheikh and Istanbul.

Linde, Samsung consortium Kuwait’s new landmark for the
wins Saudi acrylic deal
home revealed - Dar Alghanim
RIYADH: A consortium of South Korea’s
Samsung Engineering Co and Germany’s
Linde has won an early construction deal for
a Saudi-based acrylic acid complex expected
to cost 4 billion riyals ($1.1 billion).
Saudi subsidiaries of Tasnee Sahara
Olefins Co (TSOC) — a joint-venture of
Tasnee and Sahara Petrochemicals Co —
own 75 percent of the complex and 25 percent belongs to US-based Rohm and Haas,
recently bought by Dow Chemical, the Saudi

firms said yesterday.
Tasnee and Sahara did not disclose the
value of the engineering, procurement and
construction (EPC) contract awarded to
Samsung-Linde consortium. Rohm and
Haas will provide the technology for the
complex and will market its annual production 230,000 tons of acrylic acid and derivatives, the Saudi firms had said. Saudi
Ethylene and Polyethylene Co, affiliated to
Tasnee, will provide propylene as feedstock

for the plant, Tasnee said.
The complex is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2013, Tasnee and
Sahara said. When the project was first
unveiled in 2008, the two Saudi firms said
they expected it to start production in 2011.
Rohm and Haas wants to use the product
as a feedstock for its water-based acrylic
products used to manufacture detergent
additives, paints, coatings and adhesives
among other products. — Reuters

New line of Samsung notebooks,
netbooks in limelight at GITEX
Samsung registers 21.1% H1 sales rise in mobile computing segment
KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics, a market
leader in consumer electronics and world leader
in Information Technology, is reinforcing its RSeries and N-Series laptops at GITEX 2010,
allowing users to be more efficient and capable
on the move, without compromising on style.
The new R-Series models include the R440,
strengthening on Samsung’s 14-inch screen size
segment, and the R590 with premium
specifications, which builds on the success of its predecessor, the R580. The
N-Series new models include the
N150P, the second generation model of
the N150 available in a wide range of
colors, and the N210P, a value-formoney, thin and stylish Netbook.
“We have already seen a successful
2010 line-up with our first phase of
Notebooks and Netbooks,
and with the latest Rand
N-Series
models we are
confident we will
maintain a sustained
growth in notebook and Netbook
sales in the region. We are always researching ways to develop more innovative and user-

friendly features with our notebooks to meet
and surpass users’ expectations,” said Raj
Varma, Business Head of Notebooks, IT
Division, Samsung Gulf Electronics. “The
N150P, N210P, R590 and R440 enable us to do
just that. The Samsung R-Series, with its unrivalled mobile entertainment, offers an all-round
performance, while the Samsung’s N-Series
features lightweight, stylish Netbooks
for easy surfing
and entertainment,
which
come in a variety
of colors to suit
every lifestyle,”
he continued.
During the
first half of 2010,
the
EMEA
region’s combined desktop
and notebook
market experienced a growth of
21.1%,
while
Notebook/Netbook continued
to gain share with a year on year

increase of 42%. In addition, the growth in the
number of internet users in the region and
beyond will continue to spur a growth in
Netbook and notebook sales.
“With the launch of the next phase of
Notebooks and Netbooks, we are expecting a
regional growth of over 160% in our laptop division in 2010, with the help of our enhanced marketing strategy which has been put into action,”
Varma added.
The Samsung R-Series notebooks and NSeries Netbooks have all been awarded the
leading environmental and usability standard,
TCO Certified, and are ECO RoHS compliant.
As well as being ergonomically designed for
optimum ease of use and performance, they are
also completely mercury free and consume significantly less power thanks to their LED backlit displays. Their ultra-lightweight, robust and
compact design also offers other ‘green’ advantages, as less power is used in the manufacture
and usage phases of their product life.
“As environmentally friendly products and
‘green’ technology becomes a higher priority
for our consumers, Samsung is continually
striving to find new ways to meet and surpass
this growing prerequisite,” added Varma.

KUWAIT: In response to the rising need of
modern, quality home products, the Yusuf A
Alghanim & Sons group of companies has
just announced the launch of its newest initiative, DAR ALGHANIM, Kuwait’s new
landmark, a complete retail park of showrooms filled with the latest home decoration
and building products.
DAR ALGHANIM with its landmark
windmill - the first ever windmill in Kuwait is located in Shuwaikh, next to the Alghanim
garage, and is a unique concept of 4 different
dedicated showrooms offering everything
from luxury bathrooms to basic building
materials, and all supported a full range of
services including 3D design, credit facilities, home delivery and installation.
Alghanim has always been a market
leader with a mission to satisfy peoples
growing tastes on every level, therefore the
creation of DAR ALGHANIM as a retail one
stop shop with reasonable prices, high quality products and a professional team to guide
you is seen as the perfect solution.
The 4 different brands within DAR
ALGHANIM comprises of HOME & GARDEN, a home improvement superstore with
an impressive range of products for the
indoor and the outdoor requirement of any

home. From home accessories to garden furniture and plants, to kitchens and bathrooms,
to wallpaper and paints, the showroom is a
destination to obtain a variety of products at
value driven prices within the comfort of a
comfortable and beautiful store.
Next, there is REFLECTIONS, Kuwait’s
most impressive bathroom showroom
designed with panache and an eye for detail.
The two storey showroom has over 50 beautiful bathrooms designed with a combination
of European tiles, award winning sanitary
and exquisite accessories.
The third brand is ALGHANIM BUILDING CENTRE, a destination for professionals and DIY patrons on a lookout for specialized building materials and tools at the best
price for any building or construction project.
And the 4th and most impressive part of
DAR ALGHANIM is AFKAR - which means
ideas - is a massive project center that offers
design, installation and most importantly
expertise and consultation. Providing solutions from the initial steel structure, cement
and insulation, to the air-conditioning and
lifts, right through to the final room layout
and soft furnishings, AFKAR is total answer
to every new homeowner’s challenge of run-

ning between multiple shops, it is the complete one stop home building solution.
Commenting on this new project, Gary
Hatcher, Business Director said “We are
proud to open the doors of the newest concept to home and building solutions. With
the objective to support the development of
Kuwait’s’ fast growing construction industry, and to facilitate the process for individuals, DAR ALGHANIM provides a ‘retail
park’ concept catering to the different needs
and requirements for building a home and
furnishing it. DAR ALGHANIM offers
expertise, solutions and ideas, and we are
honored to have launched a unique and innovative concept that stems from a 75 year
legacy of trust and reputation.”
“Due to the current fast paced culture in
Kuwait, we are confident that a one stop
shop for everyone’s home needs will save
homeowners a great deal of time and energy.
“added Gary Hatcher, Business Director.
DAR ALGHANIM has made the process
of building a home an easy and joyful task, for
both men and women. This new home shoppers destination of Kuwait has been
designed to offer convenience to its customers, and is easy to find with the unique
“Windmill” located at the front of the site.

BUSINESS

24

Sunday, October 17, 2010

KSE indices record gains despite pressure
KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended the
week in the green zone, to record gains for both of its
main indices. The market price index ended last week
with an increase amounted to 0.22%, while the weighted
index showed slightly better performance, as it grew by
0.60% compared to the closings of the week before. In
addition, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by
0.54%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD
66.90 million, whereas trading volume average was
365.64 million shares, recording raise of 15.64%.
Moreover, KSE continued its positive performance,
as a result, KSE price index managed to exceed 7,000
points barrier from the first trading day, and stayed above
it until the end of the week. On the other hand, many of
KSE traders are waiting conservatively for the listed
companies 9 months results, as the number of the companies disclosed its results still limited. In addition, news
about possible sale of mobile telecommunications company “Zain” stocks remained as the main motive for KSE
traders.
In addition, the official announcement about the
development plan mechanism was also present, whereas,
the Kuwaiti central bank “CBK” governor said that the

BAYAN INVESTMENT WEEKLY REPORT
government received a perspective about financing
mechanism since two weeks ago, he added that the banks
are the most efficient party to undertake this task, while
on the other hand, the Ministry of Finance said that the
Kuwaiti banks are capable to finance the development
plan, but there are other choices to be considered.
By the end of the week, the price index closed at
7,010.5 points, up by 0.22% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.60%
weekly gain after closing at 475.60 points.
Sectors’ indices
Five of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green
zone, while the other three recorded declines. Last
week’s highest gainer was the Food sector, achieving
1.73% growth rate as its index closed at 4,749.3 points.
Whereas, in the second place, the Banks sector’s index

closed at 11,293.5 points recording 1.43% increase. The
Investment sector came in third as its index achieved
0.77% growth, ending the week at 5,162.9 points. The
Services sector was the least growing as its index closed
at 15,033.7 points with a 0.27% increase.
On the other hand, the Non Kuwaiti companies sector
headed the losers list as its index declined by 0.95% to
end the week’s activity at 7,224.9 points. The Industry
sector was second on the losers’ list, which index
declined by 0.90%, closing at 5,682.1 points, followed by
the Insurance sector, as its index closed at 2,633.3 points
at a weekly loss of 0.13%.
Sectors’ activity
The Investment sector dominated total trade volume
during last week with 623.90 million shares changing
hands, representing 34.12% of the total market trading

volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms
trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were
25.78% of last week’s total trading volume, with a
total of 471.35 million shares. On the other hand, the
Banks sector’s stocks where the highest traded in
terms of value; with a turnover of KD 104.50 million
or 31.24% of last week’s total market trading value.
The services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 79.53 million represented 23.78% of the total market trading value.
Ma rket capita liza tion
KSE total market capitalization grew by 0.47%
during last week to reach KD 34.17 billion, as four of
KSE’s sectors recorded an increase in their respective market capitalization, whereas the other four
recorded declines. The Food sector headed the

growing sectors as its total market capitalization
reached KD 795.27 million, increasing by 2.21%. The
Services sector was the second in terms of recorded
growth with 1.80% increase after the total value of
its listed companies reached KD 9.33 billion. The
third place was for the Investment sector, which
total market capitalization reached K.D. 3.02 billion
by the end of the week, recording an increase of
0.96%.
On the other hand, the Non Kuwaiti companies
sector headed the decliners list as its total market
capitalization reached KD 2.26 billion, decreasing by
0.88%. The Insurance sector was the second in
terms of recorded decline with 0.57% decrease after
the total value of its listed companies reached KD
315.83 million. The third place was for the Industry
sector, which total market capitalization reached KD
3.01 billion by the end of the week, recording a
decline of 0.23%.
For further details, please visit our web site:
www.bayaninvest.com.
Prepared by the Studies & Research Department
Bayan Investment Co.

business

sunday, October 17, 2010

Zainab Naser wins NBK’s top
Al-Jawhara prize KD 125,000
KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the
leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated
bank in the Middle East, recently announced
the names of the Al-Jawhara Draw prize winners for the month of October 2010 which was
conducted at NBK’s Head Office.
The first prize of KD 125,000 went to Zainab
Abdulhadi Naser, while the second place winner
Ali Hussein Nasrallah received KD 7,500. The
third winner Ibraheem Esmaeil Esmaeily was
awarded KD 3,000 and the remaining 97 winners were awarded KD 400 each.
Al-Jawhara account offers numerous benefits to NBK customers. It is not only an interest-free account with regular deposit and with-

drawal privileges, but also automatically entitles account holders to enter the monthly AlJawhara draw. Each KD 50 in an Al-Jawhara
account entitles the customer to one chance at
winning any one of the 100 prizes allocated for
each draw. All prizes are automatically credited to the winners’ accounts the day after the
draw. The more money held in your AlJawhara account, the greater your chances of
winning!
Al-Jawhara accounts are available for both
Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis and can be opened
at any one of NBK’s branches around Kuwait.
For further information kindly visit
www.nbk.com, or call Hala Watani at 1801801.

Bahrain’s GFH to reduce
capital, raise more funds
MANAMA: Ba hrain’s Gulf Finance House (GFH) pla ns to reduce its ca pita l
and raise up to $500 million in fresh funds to plug the holes a regional property crunch cut into its balance sheet, it said yesterda y. The Islamic investIt said yesterday it would increase this target to $500
million in fresh money and also reduce its paid-up capital by consolidating its shares on a ratio of four to one.
‘During the meeting, shareholders will be asked,
amongst other matters, to approve the four to one consolidation of shares, a reduction in paid up capital and
the issuance of an equity linked convertible murabaha of
up to $500 million,’ it said in a statement, without providing further details.

ment house sa id in August it w ould hold a shareholder’s meeting in October
to approve plans to ra ise up to $300 million through a murabaha , a n Islamic
equity-linked money ma rket instrument.

GFH is one of the Bahraini investment houses that
relied on fees charged on investor money raised for private equity and property projects, a market that collapsed when the global financial crisis triggered a
regional property crash in 2008.
It posted a $728 million loss for 2009 and has since
struggled to pay back its debt as it failed to sell down
illiquid property assets and find a new business model.
It narrowly escaped default in February when it

reached a last-minute deal with lender to roll over a
$300 million loan and now needs to find fresh fund to finish the property projects it started from Morocco to
India.
International and regional bond and loan markets
have been closed to Bahrainís investment sector that
is yet to find a new business model, making private
placements and capital increases the only source of
funding. — Reuters

VIVA Kuwait, Facebook launch
new, free mobile site 0.facebook.com
KUWAIT: VIVA Kuwait yesterday announced that it is
now offering its customers free mobile browsing on the
new 0.facebook.com site. By sponsoring 0.facebook.com
VIVA Kuwait is enabling its customers to stay connected through Facebook with friends and family from any
mobile Web browser without incurring any data
charges.
Facebook’s 0.facebook.com site is optimized for
speed - it is a new, faster, lightweight version of
Facebook’s mobile site m.facebook.com. The site does
not have graphics or photos and 0.facebook.com’s pages

have been designed for performance on VIVA’s network. Photos posted on Facebook are only one click
away from 0.facebook.com. To view a photo a person
only needs to click on a link to the photo and they will
be prompted that they are leaving 0.facebook.com.
Standard data charges will apply when a person leaves
0.facebook.com to view photos.
VIVA Kuwait’s customers can access the 0.facebook.com site from the VIVA WAP Browser on their
mobile phone and they will only incur charges when
they click a link to view a photo or leave the 0.face-

book.com site.
With this collaboration with Facebook, VIVA Kuwait
is offering its customers even more possibilities to
interact and communicate with family members and
friends anytime, anywhere.
Facebook was founded in February 2004, Facebook’s
mission is to give people the power to share and make
the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up
for Facebook and interact with the people they know in
a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately held
company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Paragon Marketing Communications
features in four international books
KUWAIT: Paragon Marketing Communication’s one of
Kuwait’s leading advertising agency has yet again been
featured in 4 recently published international books on
advertising and graphic design. Namely, ‘Logo Lounge
Master Library’ Vol.1 3000 Initial and Crest Logos,
‘Logo Lounge Master Library’ Vol. 2 Animal and
Mythology Logos, ‘Letterhead and Logo Design 11’ and
‘Design Matters//Portfolios’.
Logo Lounge Master Library authored by Catherine
Fishel and Bill Gardner is a collection of logos assorted
from
the
internationally
reputed
website
logolounge.com. The book features designs created by
international design firms, along-with, top-tier logo
designers who share their insights on values, traditions
and the future of designing. While Letterhead and Logo
Design 11 by Design Army presents the latest, most
innovative, and exciting work from well-known design

leaders, new design firms, and cutting-edge artists. The
third publication Design Matters//Portfolios by Maura
Keller focuses on what makes a design stand out from
the crowd in terms of layout, core attributes, and materials used.
Paragon Marketing Communications has been previously featured in several international books on advertising and graphic design some of which are: The
Complete Graphic Designer by Ryan Hembree, Crack
by Alexander Egger, The Best of Business Card Design
by Sibley/Peteet Design/Austin, Letterhead & Logo
Design 9 by The San Francisco Design Office Mine,
Logo Lounge 4 by Bill Gardner, Identity Crisis by Jeff
Fisher, The Big Book of Self promotion by Peleg Top
and Ilise Benun, 500 Really Good Logos Explained by
Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, Ron Miriello and Alex W.
White.

On these latest achievements Sheikh Dawoud Al
Sabah a prominent International Advertising
Association member and a long standing patron of
Paragon Marketing Communication’s work said “We are
proud of Paragon’s achievement and that their work has
represented Kuwait well globally”. In addition Louai
Alasfahani Managing Partner & Chief Creative Officer,
Paragon Marketing Communications commented that
“we are proud to represent Kuwait in the international
arena”. Furthermore Gaya Kruchlik Deputy General
Manager Paragon Marketing Communications added
that “Paragon Marketing Communications achievements also include a total of 52 awards which reinforces
its position as Kuwait’s most awarded agency”.
Reference to Paragon Marketing Communications
work is available on www.paragonmc.com.

Renault provides support to Haitian population
KUWAIT: Renault, in collaboration with RCI Banque,
provided seven 19-seater minibuses and three Renault
Master ambulances to three Haitian humanitarian associations and the Red Cross, which are working to rebuild
the country after the earthquake in January 2010. The
presentation ceremony for the ten vehicles was attended by the Haitian minister of youth, sports and civic
action together with Renault representatives and held in
the Croix-des-Bouquets professional and sports training
center near Port-au-Prince.
Mobility is key to reconstruction
Given the vital role played by mobility in the recon-

struction process, the objectives of Renault and its partner associations are to enable NGOs to respond to catastrophes with the right medical material, to gain faster
access to displaced populations and help people access
healthcare infrastructure.
The following associations are involved in the project:
The French and Haitian Red Cross, which are working together in the field. The minibuses will allow them
in the short term to organize health education campaigns and help the population best prepare for the risks
involved in natural catastrophes. The Red Cross will in
the medium term implement a “collective taxi” service

that meets the needs of the population and is adapted to
road and traffic conditions in the Port-au-Prince region;
The Croix-des-Bouquets professional and sports
training center, which will be placed at the disposal of
young trainees and volunteers from the Haitian civil
service, to help them in their work; The Fondation pour
les Enfants d’Haiti, which runs an orphanage, schools
and a local hospital in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince,
whose work will be facilitated by the minibus.
Enti re Gro up ral l i ed aro und the
dev el o pment pro ject
Supported by Group employees, the initiative,

deployed by the Corporate Social Responsibility department immediately after the earthquake hit, was made
possible through the collective efforts of a number of
players, including RCI Banque. The Curitiba plant in
Brazil produced the vehicles, the Americas Region
ensured their delivery, and the Renault dealership in
Haiti will handle servicing and maintenance.
Anto i ne Pei g ney , Head o f Internati o nal
Operati o ns and Rel ati o ns , RED-CROSS
“When they meet a real need voiced by the civil population and the association, donations in kind are invaluable for our organization. Especially since these dona-

tions correspond to our policy of action in Haiti - where
we have been working for 13 years - which involves carrying out revenue-generating projects to bring sustainable autonomy to the majority of the population.”
Cl ai re Marti n, Head o f So ci al
Res po ns i bi l i ty , RENAULT
“With its longstanding presence in South America, it
was important for Renault to confirm its solidarity with
Haiti, by bringing the population its expertise on a lasting
basis. Together with the donations made by our employees, this fleet of minibuses and ambulances will help to
improve the everyday life of Haitians.”

BUSINESS

26

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Foreclosure debacle to test stocks’ rally

NEW YORK: US banks will be in the
limelight this week as several household names report earnings and
investors worry a forced halt to foreclosure proceedings could hit the
sector and end the recent rally.
Bank shares fell sharply on Friday
on very high volume, continuing a
slide from the previous day. Although
recovering some of their losses,
Bank of America shares hit their lowest in over a year, while the KBW
bank index fell 2.4 percent.
Shares of Bank of America, the
nation’s largest mortgage lender,
have fallen 9 percent during the
week. Over 595.9 million shares of
the company’s stock traded on
Friday, the most since April 2009 and
over four times the 50-day moving
average.
Investors worry banks did not follow proper due diligence when foreclosing on homes whose owners
were not making mortgage payments, which could result in costly
litigation, fines and additional mortgage repurchases.
Kevin Caron, market strategist at
Stifel, Nicolaus & Co in Florham
Park, New Jersey, said that situation
could also weigh on the housing market if the uncertainty discouraged
buyers from entering into contracts
on properties under foreclosure.
“That speculative investor on the

margin may choose to not to engage
in that activity, which means there’s
the potential that you could have
some weakness in demand, particularly in the lower-end speculative
range of the housing market,” he
said.

Investors will pepper bank executives with questions when those
companies present earnings reports
next week. Banks reporting results
include Wells Fargo, Bank of
America, and Citigroup Inc, three of
the largest mortgage lenders in the

nation. The broad S&P financial sector is expected to show earnings of
$27.7 billion in the third quarter, a 71
percent increase over a year earlier,
although third-quarter revenue
growth is seen falling 6 percent to
$252.9 billion.

However, earnings estimates
have been cut on some banks.
Financials with the biggest reductions in earnings estimates for the
quarter in the latest week are
Goldman Sachs, PNC Financial, and
Citigroup, according to John Butters,
director of US earnings at Thomson
Reuters.
The financial sector has been a
conundrum in the latest market rally
since the start of September. The
KBW index has gained only 4 percent
at a time when the broader S&P 500
has rallied nearly 12 percent.
David Giroux, who runs T. Rowe
Price’s
$9.4
billion
Capital
Appreciation Fund, said expectations
that deflation would weigh on bank
earnings in the near term was pressuring the sector. He said banks
were now attractively valued and the
sector is the fund’s largest, making
up nearly 15 percent of assets. “Most
of the large banks are asset sensitive,
which means that as rates rise, their
profits should rise,” he said. “So if
you’re a big believer in deflation,
which the market has become a big
believer in ... financials do poorly.”
Giroux said a second round of
stimulus from the Federal Reserve
was unnecessary as inflation was
already present in the system. Hopes
the Fed will pump billions into the
economy has helped drive stocks

higher recently.
The Fed will release its Beige
Book during the week and that will
provide another insight into the central bank’s thinking on the economy.
On Friday, Fed Chairman Ben
Bernanke hinted more monetary
stimulus was on the way.
A number of other big US companies from a range of industries will
also present their scorecards next
week, giving investors more clues
about the economy’s health. They
include Apple Inc, Caterpillar Inc and
Johnson & Johnson.
Early indications from this earnings season have been mixed. Google
Inc blew past analysts’ expectations
on Friday, driving its stock up 11.2
percent, while lower-than- expected
revenue at General Electric, often
seen as a proxy for the economy,
pushed its shares down 5.1 percent.
Signs in the options market suggest more volatility next week as the
recent trend of a continuous slide in
the volatility index seems to be coming to an end.
“There is more call buying on the
VIX now than put selling, which suggests that traders see a spike in VIX
in the near term,” said Randy
Frederick, director of trading and
derivatives at the Schwab Center for
Financial Research in Austin, Texas.
The Chicago Board Options

Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX,
closed on Friday at 19.03, down 4.3
percent, after rising above 21 during
the day. The market has continued to
move higher since the S&P 500
broke a resistance level at around
1,130 in the middle of September.
Some chartists are now looking at an
upside target of 1,228.74, the 61.8
percent Fibonacci retracement from
the 2007 high.
This week may also see a socalled “golden cross” in the S&P 500
if the 50-day moving average rises
above the 200-day- a bullish sign for
some traders. The 14-day moving
average moved above the 50-day and
the 200-day averages in September.
Industrial production data will
kick off the week, followed by
Tuesday’s report on September
housing starts. A weak housing number could rattle investors at a time
when they’re already anxious about
the housing sector. Housing starts
are seen slipping to an annualized
rate of 580,000 units, according to
economists polled by Reuters.
Elsewhere on the economic
front, the Philly Fed index is among
early indicators of October regional
business activity leading up to the
national surveys on manufacturing
and services from the Institute for
Supply Management at the end of
the month. — Reuters

US carmaker to invest more in emerging markets

Ford to sell most of stake
in Japan’s Mazda: Reports
TOKYO: US carma ker Ford Motor has decided to sell the bulk of its 11 percent sta ke in J apa n’s Mazda Motor a nd invest the money instea d in emerging
ma rkets, reports sa id yesterda y. Ford, which ha s been the top sha reholder in

the Hiroshima -based automa ker since 1979, pla ns to slash its current equity
sta ke of 11 percent to three percent or less, the Nikkei business daily sa id
w ithout na ming its sources.
At times Ford has owned
more than a third of Mazda, but
started cutting its stake in 2008
in the wake of the global financial crisis. The two firms have
reached a basic agreement on
the deal, Nikkei said. The
Mazda shares held by Ford are
worth a total of 42 billion yen
($515 million) based on Friday’s
closing price on the Tokyo
stock market.
Jiji Press said Ford would
use the money it gains through
the sale to invest in emerging
countries with high growth
potential. The two companies
are expected to make a formal
decision in November, Jiji said.
Mazda, Japan’s fifth largest
automaker, declined to comment on the reports, saying
they were “the result of speculation” by journalists.
“Mazda and Ford continue
to enjoy a close strategic partnership and there is no change
to this relationship. As before,
we continue to cooperate in
areas of mutual benefit. We do
not comment on speculation,” it
said in a statement.
Mazda spokesman Kotaro
Minagawa said the company
would neither confirm nor deny
the reports. The Nikkei said the
TOKYO: This combo of photographs taken in Tokyo yesterday shows Mazda (left) and Ford (right) shares are likely to go to
main
creditor
motors logos displayed at their respective car dealerships. Ford, which has been the top shareholder in Mazda’s
the Hiroshima-based automaker, Mazda since 1979, plans to slash its current equity stake of 11 per- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Corp, as well as trading house
cent to three percent or less, a report said. — AFP
Sumitomo Corp and other
Sumitomo group firms.
Once the sale is completed
Ford would be no longer be
Mazda’s top shareholder, it
said.
The Wall Street Journal
SEOUL: A senior official of host South Korea
reported Ford’s chief financial
has said leaders of the Group of 20 would at best
officer said the US and Japanese
agree on a vaguely worded accord on defusing
LONDON: Britain’s Ministry of tion came after US Secretary of State
automakers would continue to
currency disputes at their summit next month, a
Defense will only face cuts of under 10 Hillary Clinton told the BBC Thursday
work together but intend to
report said yesterday.
percent in the government’s punishing she was worried that sharp spending
compete separately in China,
Any agreement on the inflammatory issue
spending review next week, compared cuts could damage the NATO military
the world’s largest car market.
would be “heavy on rhetoric” and short on
to 25 percent for many other depart- alliance.
Lewis Booth, Ford’s executive
specifics to avoid attacks on particular currenments, the BBC reported yesterday.
But the top NATO commander in
vice president and chief financies, Kim Sung-Min, chief of the G20 affairs
Finance Minister George Osborne Afghanistan, US General David
cial officer, said in a recent
office of Korea’s central bank, told the Korea
had told the MoD to prepare cuts of at Petraeus, told the Daily Telegraph
interview with the paper that
Herald.
least 10 percent despite strong resis- Saturday that Cameron had assured
Ford has “had a 30-somethingFor example, he said, the heads of the
tance from Defense Secretary Liam him in a meeting this week that
year history of working with
world’s leading economies may announce that
Fox and military chiefs. But Prime “resources for Afghanistan were ringMazda and it’s going to continthey agreed to “push for a coordination” to
Minister David Cameron intervened in fenced.”
ue”.
resolve currency disputes. “Some watchers
the row and the MoD is now likely to
“That is absolutely necessary for
But Booth confirmed that
seem to half-expect countries to announce a
face cuts of between seven and eight the success of the NATO mission, for
Ford was seeking to dissolve its
certain accord in Seoul. But I think it is impospercent, the BBC said, adding there Britain is America’s most important
three-way venture in China
sible,” Kim said.
would be no substantial cuts in army partner,” Petraeus added. The same
between Ford, Mazda and
“The foreign exchange market is very specpersonnel numbers.
newspaper reported yesterday that the
Chongqing
Changan
ulative. If they reach a detailed agreement in
Britain will announce full details of new professional head of the British
Automobile Co, with Mazda and
their joint declaration, there is no doubt that it
the cuts in a strategic defense review Army, General Peter Wall, had warned
Ford instead having two sepawill invite a wave of speculative funds,” he said.
on Tuesday, which will outline a long- Cameron
that
operations
in
rate tie-ups with the Chinese
The dispute over China’s allegedly undervalterm vision for the military. That Afghanistan could be undermined by
company. “We work on projects
ued yuan, the subject of heated complaints from
that make sense to the two of
comes the day before an overall spend- cuts in army numbers and training.
the United States and the European Union,
us and if they don’t make sense
threatens to overshadow development and
ing review Wednesday which Cameron
Wall plus Chief of the Defense Staff
other agenda items at the November 11-12
to the two of us, we don’t work
has said will reveal details of cuts of up Jock Stirrup, the Navy’s head Admiral
meeting in Seoul.
on them,” Booth reportedly
to 25 percent in most departments.
Mark Stanhope and Chief of the Air
Japan this week also took aim at South Korea
said of Ford’s relationship with
There has been particular contro- Staff Air Chief Marshal Stephen Dalton
over its interventions to slow the rise of the
Mazda.
versy over reductions to the defense are all concerned about the potential
won against the dollar. The currency battle
“With the growth in China
budget. Britain currently has around impact of cuts.
looks set to be rejoined when Group of 20
and the investment that each of
9,500 troops in Afghanistan, the second
Reports suggest that areas of
finance ministers meet in South Korea on
us are going to make in China,
largest contingent after the United defense expenditure under threat from
October 22-23 in preparation for the summit.
we decided to split the joint
States but Cameron has indicated they the cuts include RAF bases, Harrier
On Monday President Lee Myung-Bak
venture.” Ford became Mazda’s
will be withdrawn from combat by 2015 jets and navy frigates, although two
warned fellow G20 leaders that failure to settle
top shareholder in 1979 as it
in a process which may start next year. promised new Royal Navy aircraft carcurrency disputes could fuel protectionism and
purchased 25 percent of its outThe premier’s reported interven- riers will be delivered. — AFP
damage the world economic recovery. — AFP
standing shares. — AFP

G20 accord on currency
Elusive: S Korean bank

British defense cuts to
be kept under 10%: BBC

JAKARTA: Workers carry sacks of calcium powder to be shipped to Sumatra
island at Sunda Kelapa port in Jakarta yesterday. Indonesia’s economy is
expected to expand over 6 percent this year, up from 4.5 percent in 2009 and
6 percent in 2008. — AP

Turkmenistan opens new
Russia-bound gas route
ASHGABAT: Turkmenistan
inaugurated a pipeline yesterday that will help boost
exports of natural gas to
Russia. The 200-kilometer
route links reserves in the
barren Karakum desert to a
compressor station that feeds
into the Soviet-built CentralAsia-Center pipeline, which
carries gas to Russia.
The route has been created
despite Moscow’s flagging
interest in buying Turkmen
gas. Although itself rich in
gas, Russia has traditionally
bought cheaper Central Asian
energy supplies while selling
its own reserves to European
customers at much higher
prices.
Last year, Russia abruptly
suspended its imports from
Turkmenistan amid mutual
accusations over responsibility for a pipeline blast in April.
Deliveries
resumed
in
January 2010, but at much
smaller quantities. State-

owned Turkmengaz says that
Russian gas imports are
expected to reach about 10
billion cubic meters this year,
down from the annual 40 billion cubic meters it bought
previously.
Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev is set to arrive in
Turkmenistan for a two-day
visit Wednesday in a sign that
relations between the two former Soviet nations may be on
the mend.
“The new pipeline in the
Karakum Desert, which will
increase the supply of
Turkmen gas to Russia, is a
vivid example of mutually
beneficial
cooperation
between Turkmenistan and
Russia,”
President
G u r b a n g u l i
Berdymukhamedov said at a
Cabinet meeting Friday. Next
year’s schedule for gas deliveries is expected to be discussed during Medvedev’s
visit. Russia, which once had a

lock on the bulk of Central
Asian gas supplies, has seen
its dominant position undermined by the recent construction of new pipelines to China
and Iran.
Turkmen gas deliveries to
China through a pipeline completed in 2009 are expected to
reach 6 billion cubic meters
this year, with supplies
increasing
incrementally
every year until they reach 40
billion cubic meters in 2015.
Turkmen gas supplies to Iran
currently stand at about 14
billion cubic meters a year.
Russia appeared to have
cornered the market for
Central Asian gas exports in
2007, when it sealed a deal to
build a new pipeline along the
Caspian coast to further boost
supplies.
But that project has fallen by
the wayside as Moscow’s readiness to buy Turkmenistan’s
increasingly expensive gas has
waned. — AP

SYDNEY: A man walks past a trading store displaying dollar signs in Sydney
on Friday after the Australian dollar hit parity over night with the US dollar
for the first time since it floated in 1983. — AP

Venture-cap investments
decline 7 percent in Q3
SAN FRANCISCO: Venture
capitalists poured less money
into US startups in the third
quarter and split this among
more companies, signaling
that investors are trying to
be more economical with
their funds. According to a
study set to be released
Friday, startup investments
declined 7 percent to $4.8
billion in the July-September
period, compared with $5.2
billion invested during the
same three-month period in
2009. A total of 780 startups
received funding during the
quarter - 9 percent more than
the 716 companies that took
slices of the investment pie
last year. The study, which
was
conducted
by

PriceWaterhouseCoopers
and the National Venture
Capital Association based on
data from Thomson Reuters,
said that much of the decline
stemmed from a drop in large
investments in clean technology. Funding in clean-tech
startups, which include alternative energy, recycling,
conservation and power supply companies, has been
mercurial lately. It fell every
quarter last year compared
with the previous year, but
has been climbing this year until the third quarter.
Despite the third-quarter
funding drop, though, funding
for the full year still looks to
be higher than it was in 2009.
So far this year, venture cap-

italists have invested $16.7
billion in 2,497 startups; in
all of 2009, $18.3 billion was
funneled into 2,916 startups.
More startups in the expansion and later stages of
development got funding
than last year, and, as usual,
companies in these two
stages received the bulk of
funding. This comes as the
market for acquisitions and
initial public offerings for
mature startups continues to
be rough, which means venture capitalists are likely to
be waiting for quite some
time before profiting from
their investments. The number of startups in the seed
stage that got funding
dropped
11
percent.

Companies in the early stage
of development that got funding climbed 21 percent. This
seems to show that investors
are being more cautious
about investing in wholly
new ideas but remain interested in putting money toward
younger companies that still
have a lot to prove. The study
said that first-round financing
rose nearly 60 percent to $1.2
billion, and 255 companies got
their first financing in the
quarter, compared with 176 in
the third quarter of 2009.
Most of these deals were with
companies in the seed and
early stages of development,
which is consistent with past
activity. By industry, software startups got the most

funding in the quarter - $1 billion - while biotechnology
startups came in second, garnering
$943.7
million.
Investments in clean technology, which was higher last
quarter at $1.5 billion than
any quarter since the study
began keeping track of investments in 1995, fell to $625.2
million - a drop of 32 percent
from the same quarter in
2009. Trilliant Inc., which
makes wireless equipment for
utilities to manage smart
grids, snagged the quarter’s
biggest single investment of
$106 million. The secondbiggest investment, $75 million, went to Merkle Inc.,
which offers database marketing services. —AP

Apple’s earnings to
showcase one-two punch
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc should affirm this
week that its six-month-old iPad tablet computer is
selling well despite a shaky consumer market, while
the iPhone continues to fend off a strong challenge
from rival Google Inc. Analysts expect fourth-quarter
earnings to showcase Apple’s powerful one-two
punch of the iPhone and the iPad, although some still
question whether, with a plethora of rival products
set to hit store shelves, Wall Street can justify
Apple’s stratospheric valuation. The shares of the
second largest corporation in the S&P 500 jumped
more than 4 percent on Friday as anticipation mounted ahead of tomorrow’s report. As has been the case
for many quarters, iPhone growth will be the main
driver, even as anticipation builds over an iPhone
early next year tailor-made for the network of top
mobile carrier Verizon Wireless Inc — a move that
would instantly boost Apple’s consumer reach in the
United States. Apple’s shares stand at a record high
after breaking through the $300 mark for the first
time this week. The company has so far proved
resilient in the face of weak US consumer spending.
At the same time, gross margins should get a boost
from falling component costs. Although there is little
doubt September quarter numbers will be strong,
investors have come to demand an out-sized performance, so the bar is raised every three months.
Analysts say a big upside surprise may be tougher to
achieve this time around given constraints in iPad
and iPhone supply. But the iPad is playing a bigger
role in Apple’s business and could be a wild card this
quarter, and Wall Street is eager to gauge consumer
enthusiasm for the tablet. While demand has been
strong, manufacturing bottlenecks have limited production. Apple trades at nearly 21 times forward
earnings, a healthy premium over smartphone and
PC rivals.
A SECOND LEG
Investors are looking at the iPad as the second
pillar of growth along with the iPhone, which has
keyed Apple’s surge over the past few years, but is
facing stiff competition from smartphones based on
Google’s Android software. “It’s going to be a combination this time of their two most important products, iPhone and iPad, and both are going to do very
well,” said Gleacher & Co analyst Brian Marshall,
who expects Apple to pass Exxon Mobil Corp as the
largest company in the S&P 500 in short order.
Apple launched the iPad in April and sold 3.3 million
units in the June quarter. Analysts expect sales of 4.5
million to 5 million units for September.
Susquehanna Financial analyst Jeff Fidacaro noted
that because investor expectations are so high, there
may be some disappointment if the iPad number is

below 5 million. Fidacaro said that, despite Apple’s
size, there is still room to grow because its key markets — smartphones and tablets — are young and
expanding. “You’ve got two huge product cycles
going on right now,” he said. “And the iPad has no
competition.” iPhone sales should continue to be
strong following the June launch of the iPhone 4,
with estimates in the 11 million to 12 million unit
range. Fidacaro said Apple is building a CDMA
iPhone for expected launch early next year, potentially with Verizon, that would add more than 10 million units to his 2011 sales estimate. But the threat
from Google looms and new rivals are emerging.
Android was the most popular platform among US
smartphone customers in the past six months,
according to Nielsen. “There’s going to be no shortage of competition next year,” said Pacific Crest
Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves.
ELEVATED EXPECTATIONS
Apple, famous for its low-ball forecasts,
stunned investors in July when it set a revenue
outlook for September that was $1 billion higher
than Wall Street’s target. The company has beat
the consensus estimate in each of the past eight
quarters by a minimum of 13 percent and has bested revenue estimates for the past seven quarters.
Hargreaves said investors should expect another
beat this time around. “I don’t think it will be a big
as what we’ve seen in the past, at least relative to
our numbers, because of supply constraints early
in the quarter,” he said. Apple is expected to post
earnings of $4.08 a share on revenue of $18.9 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
According to StarMine’s SmartEstimate, which
places more weight on recent forecasts by toprated analysts, Apple should post EPS of $4.17 on
revenue of $19.1 billion. Analysts expect a gross
margin of 38.2 percent. Apple’s margin has been
pinched by the iPad, but falling prices for components such as NAND flash, which Apple consumes
in huge amounts, could help in the September
quarter. Wall Street expects Apple to report sales
of roughly 10 million iPods and 3.5 million to 4 million Mac computers. Macs have been a steady
source of strength for Apple over the past few
years. Sales surged 24 percent in the United
States in the July-September period, according to
industry tracker IDC, a far stronger performance
that its rivals. Apple could dominate the headlines
next week. After its earnings report on Monday
comes a media event on Wednesday focused on
Mac computers. That is followed by quarterly
results from AT&T Inc, the exclusive US iPhone
carrier, and Verizon.—Reuters

Twitter cuts off celebrity tracker JustSpotted
SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter on
Friday said it cut celebrity-tracking service JustSpotted off from a
pipeline of “tweets” that could be
tapped to map the whereabouts of
stars. JustSpotted will launch
Tuesday with an online map that
pinpoints celebrity sightings in
real time using updates from
sources including Twitter,
Facebook, and location-based
check-in service FourSquare.
JustSpotted is a reincarnation of
real-time search engine Scoopler,
which had licensed a “fire hose”
data feed of all public tweets from
Twitter. “JustSpotted.com is not

the product we licensed, and we
have terminated their agreement,” a Twitter spokesman said
in response to an AFP inquiry.
Twitter had nothing to do with the
development of JustSpotted, the
spokesman
stressed.
The
JustSpotted homepage on Friday
featured a world atlas with icons
marking locations where people
reported sightings of famous folks
ranging from movie stars to US
President Barack Obama and the
Dalai Lama. A message on the
page promised the service would
launch in four days. “JustSpotted
shows you what your favorite

celebrity is up to right now and
where they were last spotted,”
said service founder and chief
executive AJ Asver. The service
promised to deliver “a real-time
feed of every celebrity’s activity.”
Key features listed by JustSpotted
included technology that sifted
public Twitter comments for
celebrity sightings and comments
about what they were doing. While
branded by some as a potential
resource for stalkers, JustSpotted
billed itself as “celebrity friendly”
and said stars can make deals to
use the service to promote their
images or messages.

health & science

28

sunday, October 17, 2010

Time, like all good things, may come to an end, study says
WASHINGTON: The end of the world as
we know it cannot be avoided, but it can
be predicted, according to a group of
astrophysicists who see a 50 percent
chance of the final countdown ending in
3.7 billion years. “Time is unlikely to end
in our lifetime, but there is a 50 percent
chance that time will end within the next
3.7 billion years,” according to the team of
US and Japanese scientists, who are challenging a long-standing theory of the universe.
While scientists have long concluded
that the universe is expanding, and will

do so for an infinite period of time, the
researchers say the very rules of physics
suggest that “an eternally inflating universe” is far from given. “The point of this
paper is to show that certain methods and
assumptions that have been widely used
by physicists for years-most prominently,
the use of a time cutoff in order to compute probabilities in an eternally inflating
universe-lead to the conclusion that time
will end,” Raphael Bousso of the
University of California, Berkeley told
AFP.
“In other words, the time cutoff, which

we may have thought was just a calculational tool, actually behaves like a physical
event, whether we like it or not,” said
Bousso, lead author of the study published
on arXiv.org Current theories of the universe begin with the “Big Bang,” which
cast our living space into being some 13.7
billion years ago in a massive explosion.
Since then, theorists have assumed the
universe will simply continue to expand
forever, but have also used a theoretical
expiration date to help calculate the laws
and rules of physics.
But Bousso and his colleagues says the

discipline simply cannot have it both
ways. He cautioned however that the
complex thought experiment and calculations proposed by the research could not
be used to draw definitive conclusions.
“It’s very important to understand that we
are not saying that we are certain of the
conclusion that time will end (though we
cannot rule out that it may be correct),”
he wrote. But he said even if the theory
was false, discovering why that was the
case would help scientists better understand the universe. “In science, this kind
of reasoning is often valuable: you realize

that your reasonable-seeming theory predicts something that sounds crazy, so you
have to come to grips with that,” he told
AFP. “Either you have to abandon the
theory, or you have to understand why
the crazy-sounding thing may not actually
be so crazy.”
For
astrophysicist
Charles
Lineweaver, of Australian National
University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory,
Bousso’s conclusions are simply incorrect. “Bousso’s average life of a universe
is a set time, only because that’s what
happens when you introduce a cutoff point

to get a reasonable probability,” he told
ABC Television. “It’s a statistical technique being taken probably too seriously,”
he added.
But Bousso said he and his team had
not invented or introduced anything.
“These cutoffs have been used by many
leading physicists for years,” he told AFP.
“We merely pointed out that it’s not such
an innocent thing to do. “The cutoff on
time is inevitably physical and hence
requires a physical justification. It cannot
be considered a mere mathematical
trick.” — AFP

Malaysia Healthcare - providing
quality care for your peace of mind
With the quality, affordability and comprehensive
nature of healthcare in Malaysia, treatment is a luxury
KUWAIT: Given the high-quality, accessibility a nd a ffordability of Ma laysia n Healthcare, it is no surprise tha t it is ra nked highly by independent organiza tions tha t monitor fa cilities and services on behalf of medical travelers w orldwide. How ever, a mong the public in many countries, Malaysia’s outstanding success in offering high-qua lity a ffordable healthcare to internationa l patients is not very w ell known, sa id Dr. Mary Wong La i Lin, CEO of Ma laysia Hea lthcare
Travel Council, while speaking on the sidelines of the First International Conference and Exhibition for Best Hospita ls tha t w as held in Kuwa it from the 7th
to 9th of October.
Dr. Wong explained, “One of
the reasons for the lack of
awareness among the public has
to do with Malaysia’s long
standing policy against advertising healthcare. Though we have
an excellent medical system,
established way back during our
Colonial period, healthcare was
always purely intended to provide medical service to the public; it was never seen from a
business perspective. However,
recently, recognizing the huge
potential of healthcare tourism
to the Malaysian economy, the
government decided to form the
Malaysian Healthcare Travel
Council (MHTC). The primary
aim of MHTC is promoting and
positioning Malaysia as the preferred healthcare destination for
international medical travelers.
“Our presence at this exhibition in Kuwait is part of the
attempt by MHTC, to showcase
Malaysian medical facilities and
expertise and to create better
awareness among the public
about the high-quality, affordability and comprehensive
nature of healthcare in
Malaysia,” said Dr. Wong. As
part of its strategic plans to promote healthcare travel services
and spearhead promotional
activities for the Malaysian
Healthcare Travel Industry,
MHTC has formulated several
procedures to streamline service providers and revamp services and facilities in both private and government sectors.
Dr.
Wong
explained:
“Among the procedures implemented by MHTC are several
capacity building and networking initiatives, between different
stakeholders in the Malaysian

KUWAIT: Representatives of the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council at
the Kuwait Fair Grounds in Mishref.
healthcare industry, designed to
facilitate public-private sector
collaboration. This relationship
helps to effectively address
issues affecting the industry so
that visitors have a seamless
experience with Malaysian
healthcare services.” To further
this partnership, MHTC formed
an advisory committee, with
representatives from the public
and private sectors as well as
medical professional bodies, to
stipulate criteria to be followed
by Malaysian hospitals in order
to win the approval stamp from
MHTC.
The committee’s recommendations for participating hospi-

tals include obtaining and maintaining accreditations from the
Malaysian Society for Quality in
Health
(MSQH),
Joint
Commission International (JCI),
ISO or other international
accreditation bodies to ensure
they meet established standards. The hospitals must also
offer major specialties and some
sub-specialties and have a good
quality online presence so that
international patients can
directly learn about the hospital’s capabilities and offerings.
Another outcome of the influence of MHTC has been that
immigration formalities have
been enhanced for healthcare

visitors so that they can now
avail of a special medical visa for
up to six months, which can be
further extended if necessary.
“We also recognize that
there is no better means of
appreciating the uniqueness of
Malaysian Healthcare than seeing it. Thus MHTC has been
providing potential foreign
healthcare travel buyers and
other key-decision makers with
familiarization trips to Malaysia,
to give them better exposure to
the healthcare facilities and
capabilities available in the
country. As a result of our
proactive approach, in 2008,
more than 375,000 healthcare

travelers visited our promoted
hospitals - a three-fold increase
from 2001,” said the doctor.
“Malaysia’s highly trained
medical personnel are experienced in the full range of medical specializations, from dental,
cosmetic and plastic surgery to
bariatric, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, fertility treatment, orthopedic and rehabilitative medicine, cancer treatment
and pain management,” noted
Dr. Wong. She added that
Malaysia being a multi-cultural,
multi-linguistic country, offered
several features that make its
hospitals a choice destination
for medical travelers from
Muslim countries, including cultural sensitiveness, fluent
Arabic speakers, proximity to
mosques and halal food.
The factors leading to the
growth of global healthcare will
continue to evolve and challenge healthcare travel industries around the world. To
remain competitive, stakeholders in Malaysia’s healthcare sector need to constantly raise the
standards of their industry said
Dr. Wong. She added, “To maintain its high standards and to
uphold the reputation of
Malaysia as a health tourism
destination, MHTC is working
to ensure that hospitals, doctors
and surgeons, and medical
tourism operators work together to comply with all relevant
regulations, standards and
accreditation, to provide the
best facilities and services so
that visitors will continue to
promote Malaysia as the preferred destination for medical
travel.

US eyes ways to make
Fearful drug addicts abandoned
computer use safer online
WASHINGTON: The US government is reviewing an
Australian program that will
allow Internet service providers
to alert customers if their computers are taken over by hackers
and could limit online access if
people don’t fix the problem.
Obama administration officials
have been meeting with industry
leaders and experts to find ways
to increase online safety, as they
try to strike a balance between
securing the Internet and guarding Americans’ privacy and civil
liberties.
Cyber experts and US officials are interested in portions of
the plan, slated to go into effect
in Australia in December. But
any move toward Internet regulation or monitoring by the US
government or industry could
trigger fierce opposition from
the public. The discussions
come as private, corporate and
government computers across
the US are increasingly being
taken over and exploited by
hackers and other computer
criminals. White House cyber
coordinator Howard Schmidt
told The Associated Press that
the US is looking at a number of
voluntary ways to help the public
and small businesses better protect
themselves
online.
Possibilities include provisions
in the Australia plan that enable
customers to get warnings from
their Internet providers if their
computer gets taken over by
hackers through a botnet.
A botnet is a network of
infected computers that can
number in the thousands, and
that network is usually controlled by hackers through a
small number of scattered PCs.
Computer owners are often

unaware that their machine is
linked to a botnet and is being
used to shut down targeted websites, distribute malicious code
or spread spam. If a company is
willing to give its customers better online security, the American
public will go along with that,
Schmidt said. “Without security
you have no privacy. And many
of us that care deeply about our
privacy look to make sure our
systems are secure,” Schmidt
said in an interview.
Internet service providers,
he added, can help “make sure
our systems are cleaned up if
they’re infected and keep them
clean.” But officials are stopping
short of advocating an option in
the Australian plan that allows
Internet providers to wall off or
limit online usage by customers
who fail to clean their infected
computers, saying this would be
technically difficult and likely run
into opposition. “In my view, the
United States is probably going
to be well behind other nations
in stepping into a lot of these
new areas,” said Prescott
Winter, former chief technology
officer for the National Security
Agency, who is now at the
California-based cybersecurity
firm, ArcSight.
In the US, he said, the
Internet is viewed as a technological wild west that should
remain unfenced and unfettered.
But he said this open range isn’t
secure, so “we need to take
steps to make it safe, reliable and
resilient.” “I think that, quite
frankly, there will be other governments who will finally say, at
least for their parts of the
Internet, as the Australians have
apparently done, we think we
can do better.” — AP

in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

CIUDAD JUAREZ: Thousands of drug addicts
live in the shadows of Ciudad Juarez, the infamous
Mexican border city at the epicenter of a wave of
brutal drug violence as well as growing drug use.
Abandoned by authorities, the addicts live in fear
of drug gangs who threaten and sometimes kill
them for no apparent reason, including several
brutal massacres in drug treatment centers.
“Now they enter houses and kill us. We keep this
window open so we can at least try to escape over
the roof,” said a drug user who gave her name as
Carla, inside a house used as a ‘shooting gallery’
for heroin in Barrio Alto, a central district dotted
with abandoned businesses. Groups of addicts
huddle in hundreds of similar spots of desolation
in the border city across from El Paso, Texas,
from which thousands of wealthier residents have
fled in recent years. The city government counts
more than 5,000 heroin addicts alone in Ciudad
Juarez, the largest group in Latin America. Many
openly shoot up, like Ricardo, who sits on the

back of a pickup truck next to the factory which
employs him as a security guard. A trail of users
visit the truck during the day, sometimes aided by
another addict to inject themselves. Ricardo said
he did not charge people to use his space but
asked them to cooperate. “You have to be discreet and avoid the drug trafficking circuit. I don’t
sell, you need to ask the gangs permission for
that. Even without selling it’s become very dangerous,” Ricardo said hurriedly.
Like the authorities, Ricardo blames the wave
of killings in the city- some 6,500 in three yearson a move by the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel to
take over gangs dominated by the Juarez cartel.
More than 28,000 people have been killed in rising suspected drug violence across the country
since 2006, according to official figures. Health
activists visit the Ciudad Juarez drug addicts daily
to change or clean their needles. The addicts
sometimes tell them of others who have been
killed for unknown reasons. — AFP

ILLINOIS: This June 28, 2005 file photo is seen the skeletal remains of Jane,
the prized juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex on exhibit at the Burpee Museum of
Natural History in Rockford, Illinois. — AFP

T. rex may have
eaten one another
WASHINGTON: A team of researchers reports
Friday that huge tooth marks on Tyrannosaurus
rex bones indicate the ancient giant dinosaurs
may have cannibalized one another.
“They’re the kind of marks that any big carnivore
could have made, but T. rex was the only big carnivore in western North America 65 million years
ago,” Nicholas R. Longrich of Yale University said
in a statement. Longrich and colleagues report
their findings in Friday’s edition of the journal
PLoS ONE. They found 17 fossils with deep Vshaped gouges of a type identified as being made
by T. rex. Of those, four were remains of T. rex
themselves. It seems likely the marks were made
during scavenging from a dead dinosaur, the

researchers said. “It does seem improbable that
Tyrannosaurus routinely hunted full-grown members of its own species,” the researchers wrote.
However, they added, it is possible that combat
led to casualties, with the dead becoming convenient sources of food for the victors. “Still, compelling evidence for predation in Tyrannosaurus
remains elusive.” Longrich and colleagues note
that “cannibalism is common in nature, particularly among large carnivores” such as bears, hyenas,
large cats, Komodo dragons and alligators. Coauthors are John Horner of Montana State
University, Gregory Erickson of Florida State
University and Philip Currie of the University of
Alberta. — AP

Study: Obesity care costs
twice previous estimates
ATLANTA: Nearly 17 percent
of US medical costs can be
blamed on obesity, according to
new research that suggests the
nation’s weight problem may be
having close to twice the impact
on medical spending as previously estimated. One expert
acknowledged that past estimates likely underestimated the
costs and said the new study _
which places obesity-related
medical costs at around $168 billion _ probably is closer to the
truth. “I think these are the
most recent and perhaps statistically sound estimates that have
come out to date,” said Kenneth
Thorpe, a health policy
researcher at Emory University
who has focused on the cost of
health care. The new research
was done by John Cawley of
Cornell University and Chad
Meyerhoefer
of
Lehigh
University. It was released this

week by the National Bureau of
Economic Research, a nonprofit,
nonpartisan research organization. An influential recent study
released last year _ which has
been cited by federal health officials _ estimated that obesityrelated medical costs have
reached $147 billion, or about 9
percent of total medical costs.
The earlier study also estimated
that obesity adds about $1,400 to
a person’s annual medical bills.
The new study suggests the
added cost is double that,
exceeding $2,800. Cawley and
Meyerhoefer used a data base
that other obesity researchers
have used _ a federal survey of
US citizens and their doctors
and other medical providers,
which is considered the most
complete information on the
cost and use of health care in the
country. The new study looked
at the data base’s information on

nearly 24,000 non-elderly adult
patients from the years 2000
through 2005. Results were
reported in 2005 dollars. Why
did Cawley and Meyerhoefer
come up with larger estimates?
Past studies have relied just on
self-reported weight, and many
people understate their actual
weight. The new research made
statistical adjustments to come
up with what are believed to be
truer figures. The authors tried
to better establish that excess
weight was a cause for the medical costs. Previous studies
stopped short of saying obesity
caused the costs because there
was too great a chance other factors could be responsible.
Cawley and Meyerhoefer tried
to overcome that problem by
also looking at the weight of
study subjects’ relatives to
determine if obesity ran in the
family. — AP

Insomnia common in arthritis patients
NEW YORK: Arthritis can substantially worsen the quality of a person’s sleep, particularly when pain isn’t
well controlled or patients are
depressed and anxious, a new study
shows. “Among people with arthritis,
the prevalence of sleep disturbances
was very high - about 23 percent, or
more than 10 million Americans,”
said Dr. Grant Louie, now at Johns
Hopkins University Medical School
in Baltimore, Maryland.
In people without arthritis, by
comparison, the rate of sleep disturbances was only about 16 percent.
Louie headed up the study when he
was still at the National Institutes of
Health. He and his colleagues wanted
a better understanding of the association between arthritis and sleep

problems than previous small studies
provided. They analyzed health data
from 23,134 adults, age 18 or older,
gathered in the large 2007 National
Health
Interview
Survey.
Participants provided information
about a wide range of topics including
smoking, alcohol consumption, diet,
exercise, weight, sleep, and chronic
health problems. Overall, nearly 20
percent of the study participants said
they’d been diagnosed with arthritis.
There are two types of arthritis,
inflammatory and non-inflammatory.
The most common is non-inflammatory osteoarthritis - a breakdown of
joint cartilage-which is caused by
injury, aging, or other causes. In the
current study, however, the
researchers did not distinguish

between the two. Compared to people without arthritis, people with
arthritis were almost three times
more likely to report one or more
sleep problems: not being able to fall
asleep (insomnia), excessive sleepiness during the day, or sleeping less
than six hours.
Sleep problems have been associated with other health conditions
such as acid reflux, obesity, diabetes,
and heart disease, so the researchers
next took patients’ other illnesses
into account. They found that even
with other medical problems, those
with arthritis were still more likely to
suffer from sleep problems compared
to those without arthritis - although
the connection wasn’t as strong as
before. Most of the sleeping prob-

lems were related to pain and joint
mobility limitations, according to the
investigators. In other words, pain
and joint mobility problems were better predictors of trouble sleeping
compared to just having a diagnosis
of arthritis, they report in the journal
Arthritis Care and Research. Even
more striking, Louie said, was the
rate of sleep disturbances in arthritis
patients who said that in the past
year they’d had problems with
depression and anxiety. Louie called
these problems “often neglected
symptoms.”
“Depression and anxiety were the
most important factors identifying”
which arthritis patients would have
all three sleep disorders (insomnia,
sleepiness during the day, and less

than six hours of sleep), he said.
Arthritis patients with upper gastrointestinal problems (such as
ulcers, acid reflux, or heartburn)
were also particularly vulnerable to
sleep problems, a fact with implications for how pain symptoms are
treated. That’s because “many medications used for arthritis pain relief
can have upper GI symptoms as
adverse effects,” the researchers
point out.
They conclude that their study
results reinforce the findings of previous research and underline the
need for doctors to ask arthritis
patients about sleep problems,
“especially those reporting pain or
with depression or anxiety,” and to
treat them appropriately. — Reuters

Sunday, October 17, 2010

health & Science

29

Gates agriculture grants
focus on seeds, climate
technology to help small farmers adapt to climate change

MEXICO: A female tiger with her five cubs is seen in Cancun, Mexico,
on October 15, 2010. — AFP

Homophobia, not seeking treatment
could be a factor in HIV racial gap
NEW YORK: Among gay men
in the United States, blacks
are more likely than whites to
believe that homosexuality is
“wrong” - and these feelings
might be contributing to the
black men’s higher risk of
HIV infection, researchers
suggest. According to the US
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, in 2006
African-Americans accounted
for nearly half (45%) of new
infections in the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Also,
according to recent estimates,
they account for a disproportionate 24 percent of reported
HIV cases among gay and
bisexual men in the US The
reasons are not clear.
Studies have not found a
higher rate of risky sexual
behavior among black men
versus white men-but a range
of factors are likely at work.
The current study was an
attempt to look at one possible social factor: the stigma
attached to homosexuality.
Using data from a US health
survey conducted periodically
since 1972, the researchers
found that, in general, AfricanAmericans were more likely
than whites to report a negative attitude toward homosexuality. In 2008, 72 percent of
black adults said that homosexuality was “always
wrong”-a rate that had
changed little since the 1970s.
Among whites, 52 percent
expressed that view in 2008,
which was down from 71 percent in 1973.
A similar pattern was seen
among men who reported
having sex with other men. Of
these men, 57 percent of
African Americans said they
believed homosexuality was
always wrong, versus 27 percent of whites. When the
researchers looked at the
men’s reported rates of HIV

testing, they found that those
who regarded homosexuality
as wrong were less likely to
have ever been tested: 36
percent, versus 73 percent of
those with a more favorable
view of homosexuality. This
pattern does not prove that
homophobia is a factor in the
racial disparity in HIV infection among gay and bisexual
men in the US, the
researchers report in the
Journal
of
Acquired
Immunodeficiency
Syndromes. But it does raise
that possibility, they say. For
one thing, men who know
they’re infected with HIV are
likely to change their behavior
to avoid infecting others. Also,
they’re likely to seek treatment.
According
to
the
researchers, other studies
have shown that black men
who have sex with men tend
to prefer other black partners
- who would inevitably bear
the brunt of any reluctance to
go for HIV testing. “Negative
attitudes toward homosexuality, either from their surrounding community or from within
themselves, could make it difficult for men who have sex
with men to acknowledge
their risk for HIV and seek
testing,” lead researcher Sara
Nelson Glick, of the
University of Washington in
Seattle, told Reuters Health in
an email. “These kinds of
studies are important,” said
Francisco Roque, director of
community health for Gay
Men’s Health Crisis, a New
York-based non-profit that
provides HIV/AIDS education
and services. Such researchbased data are helpful for
gaining support for campaigns
to address homophobia, as
well as HIV/AIDS prevention,
according to Roque. However,
he cautioned against seeing

homophobia as an issue particular to African Americans,
as the factors that go into
such attitudes are many and
complex. In this study,
respondents’ attitudes toward
homosexuality varied according to education, income, religious affiliation and other variables. Among Americans with
less than a high school education, for instance, 83 percent
said homosexuality was
always wrong, compared with
47 percent of those with a college degree. Roque did agree
that homophobia, in general,
may be a factor in HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men. Men may be less
likely to take care of their
health, he told Reuters
Health, “if they are hearing
that they don’t matter, or if
they don’t feel good about
themselves.” One issue,
according to Roque, is the lack
of positive media representations of gay and bisexual men
of color. L ast week, Gay
Men’s Health Crisis launched
a campaign called “I Love My
Boo,” which it says is
designed to raise the visibility
of black and Latino gay men,
and challenge homophobic
attitudes. The campaign
involves posters placed
throughout the New York City
subway system that feature
black and Latino same-sex
couples, with the words,
“We’re about love, respect
and commitment.” The
images, Roque said, “give a
face to what’s possible for
young people.” Glick agreed
that raising the visibility of
minority gay and bisexual
men might prove helpful. She
and her colleagues found that
survey respondents who said
they knew a gay person were
less likely to harbor a negative attitude toward homosexuality. — Reuters

IOWA: Gates Foundation, which has donated
$1.5 billion to agriculture in developing countries, is focusing more investments on seeds
and technology to help small farmers adapt to
climate change, the foundation’s chief executive said on Thursday.
“Most of our grants support conventional
breeding. But in certain instances we include
biotechnology approaches because we
believe they can help farmers confront
drought, flooding, disease, or pests more
effectively than conventional breeding
alone,” Jeff Raikes, chief executive of the
foundation started by the billionaire founder
of software giant Microsoft, said in a speech
to the World Food Prize meeting.
Raikes cited recent funding for a project to
develop drought-tolerant corn for African
farmers, which is now being used in Malawi
and other countries. Other grants have
helped develop a variety of rice that can tolerate submergence so that farmers won’t be
wiped out by floods.
Gates Foundation, which focuses on aid to
small farmers, is working on multiple fronts
to address the problems that climate change
is making for developing nations. “We’ve
known for years that farmers were going to
have to contend with harsher weather, but
now we’re getting a clearer idea of the scale
and scope of the crisis,” Raikes said. “The
places that will suffer the most severe
weather-the volatile temperatures, the
changing patterns of rainfall, the droughts
and the floods-are the same places where the
poorest farmers live.
Their very survival will depend on their
ability to adapt to climate change.” In subSaharan Africa, agriculture accounts for about
two-thirds of employment and one-third of
total economic output, according to the Gates
Foundation. In South Asia, rural poverty
rates hover near 40 percent.
WAT ER S CAR CE
Raikes said development of crop varieties
to resist pests, diseases and drought were
vital but the climate crisis had sharpened
focus on one practical issue: water scarcity.
“Rivers in China are drying up. Groundwater
levels in India are dropping rapidly. And yet,
because of rapid population growth, urbanization, and changing diets, the global demand
for water is on pace to double in just 50
years,” Raikes said.
“Without drastic changes, demand is
going to outstrip supply in the areas where
the poorest farmers live.” Given the growing
crisis, Raikes said it was necessary for both
the private sector and governments to resist
cutting aid for developing countries’ agriculture despite recessions.
“We need to remain vigilant in these
tough economic times to make sure that
donors follow through on their pledges.
Budget pressures are threatening the
progress we’ve been making,” Raikes said.
“The G20 countries pledged $22 billion last
year, but this year it looks unlikely that
they’ll meet their pledges.” — Reuters

INDONESIA: This photograph taken during an aerial survey mission by Greenpeace
over Sumatra island shows trees being grown (top R) in an agro-forestry tree plantation while the natural forest has been cut for a paper and pulpwood in South
Sumatra province on October 16, 2010. According to the global environmental campaign group, massive concessions of paper and pulpwood companies are operating in
the Island’s last remaining peatland forest and the habitat of the endangered
Sumatran tiger. The destruction of rainforests and peatlands is the major reason
Indonesia is considered the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases,
blamed for global warming. —AFP

Canada declares BPA toxic
sets stage for more bans
OTTAWA: Canada has declared
bisphenol A a toxic chemical,
prompting calls for far-reaching
curbs on the industrial chemical that
is used in everything from the linings of aluminum cans to coatings on
electronic till receipts.
Canada added the compound,
known as BPA, to a list of substances deemed potentially harmful
to health or the environment in a
notice published in the Canada
Gazette on Wednesday. That makes
it easier for Ottawa to regulate the
use of the chemical, perhaps by limiting how much BPA can be released
into air or water or perhaps with
outright bans on its use in specific
food containers. “The risk assessment of BPA put together by our
federal government is very strong in

terms of its conclusions, so I think
it’s a foregone conclusion that it will
drive further action rather quickly,”
said Rick Smith, executive director
of Environmental Defense, which
campaigned to ban BPA. BPA is
mass produced and has been used
for decades to harden plastics.
It is widely used to line food and
beverage containers, and a recent
government report said it was present in the bodies of 91 percent of
Canadians. “We are literally marinating in it on a minute-by-minute
basis,” said Smith.
The primary health concerns
center on BPA’s potential effects as
an endocrine disrupter, which can
mimic or interfere with the body’s
natural hormones and potentially
damage development, especially of

young children. “Our science indicated that Bisphenol A may be
harmful to both human health and
the environment and we were the
first country to take bold action in
the interest of Canadians,” Health
Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a
statement.
Smith said Canada has been a
world leader in its crackdown on
BPA. It promised the first steps to
control use of the chemical in 2008,
and in March this year banned plastic baby bottles that contain BPA. A
next step could curb BPA use in the
lining of baby formula tins, he added.
Canada could also limit BPA emissions by factories into the environment and work with industry to
reduce exposure through the lining
of canned goods. — Reuters

WHAT’S ON IN KUWAIT

30

Sunday, October 17, 2010
Founder’s Day

ll Algerians are invited for dinner to commemorate Founder’s Day on October 28,
A
2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Al-Murjan
Hall) at 7:30 pm. The event will feature a
fancy dress competition for children up to 1st
standard and drawing competition for children
from 2nd standard to 8th standard. For the
fancy dress competition, children are requested to come prepared from home and those
participating in the drawing competition are
requested to bring crayons/coloring
pencils/sketch pens with them, paper sheets
will be provided at the venue. For confirming
your presence and for queries, please contact: Ikram on 97611788; Tariq Sibte on
99638779; Usman on 66629904; or
Sabihuddin on 97210594.

Filipino Badminton Committee

he Filipino Badminton Committee is inviting all badminton enthusiast to join its 20th
TBadminton
Tournament. The event which is

A

special meeting consisting of all the staff members of IIS was held on October 2 at India International School in honor of the new principal Mr F M Basheer
Ahmed. Mrs Narender Kaur, vice-principal of the school welcomed the gathering and narrated the qualifications and the achievements of the principal. All
the teachers introduced themselves. Mr Balasubramnianm, the headmaster of the school in his address expressed that the new principal would spread the
sweet smell of Hyderabad jasmine at IIS and his prudence and experience would guide the teachers at the right path in search of excellence in the field of education.

held for a cause will start on November 5 and
will last until December 10 at the Kuwait
Disabled Club , Hawally every Friday from 8
AM until 5 PM. The tournament will be a
team event of 5 players. Each team must
have Level 1 & 2 (Men’s), Level 1& 2
(Ladies’) and Level 3 (Ladies’). The deadline
for submission of line up will be on October
15. Special prize will be given for Best
Uniform, Best Team. For more information,
call 97197268.

Football For All

Goal Academy in association
Everton F.C. launches its ‘Football
TForhewithAll’Premier
program at Shaab Park in October
2010. Expert guidance from professional
English F.A./UEFA coaching team. Coaching
courses for 3-14 years are held on Fridays
09-11 and Saturdays 3pm to 5pm. Advanced
coaching for Centre of Excellence players
aged 8 to 18 years also takes place on Fridays
and Saturdays plus Mondays (8-12 years),
Tuesdays (12-14 years) and Wednesdays (1418 years) from 5pm to 7pm. Regular fixtures
against Kuwait Club teams and tournaments
in the Gulf, USA and Europe are also available for selected players. The Premier Goal
Academy also offers coaching courses in
Salwa, Hawally, Mangaf, Sharq (Girls Only)
and Freestyle courses (13-18 years) at Shaab
Park on Mondays. For further details of any
of the P.G.A. Courses contact; Mike Finn,
Director of Football Tel.99981327(English),
Baker Al- Nazer, Director of Administration
Tel.66918666 (Arabic) or Daniel Christensen
99128010 or email;
premier_fa_kuwait@yahoo.com.

s part of the ongoing charity activities conducted by
Friends of Kannur expatriates association, FOKE
Kuwait, donated a tricycle to a disable person
Ashokan. At a function organized at Ashokan’s house,

school children in Kuwait on Saturday,
October 23, 2010 at Indian Public School,
Salmiya, in the following segments:
Inaugural Session & Registration 8:30 am
Quran Recitation (Memorized) 9:00 am to
11:00 am
Islamic Quiz 11:00 am to 11:30 am
Break for Zohr prayer until 12:00 noon
Elocution Competition 12:00 noon to 01:00
pm. Boys and girls from Grade 1 to Grade 12
are eligible to participate. The rules and the
syllabus of the Competitions are made available online at IMWA website,
imwakuwait.org. All the participants and parents are requested to note the timings and
cooperate with organizers. Competition
results will be announced on IMWA website.
For further info please call competition hotlines: 99740083/66520620/55630073. The
registration is now open online. Please log
on to www.imwakuwait.org

Kannapuram Panchayat president K V. Sreedharan handed over the cycle to Ashokan. FOKE Chief Patron I.V
Dinesh, Executive members Chittil Ravi and Manoj were
among the few attended the function.

D

D

r. K. Veeramani, the Chancellor of Periyar Maniammai University, Vallam in TamilNadu, accompanied by his wife, and Mr.
Veerasekaran, as well as Dr. S. Ilangovan have arrived to Kuwait on 13th October 2010. Welcome to Kuwait, and enjoy
your stay!

rop by and enjoy the free activities,
delicious food, good company and international items for sale! Free activities
include henna painting, having your name
written in Arabic and trying out Arabic ice
cream. Various goods will be available for
purchase, such as Bashima shawls, accessories, Mexican food, cosmetics, cookies,
handbags, traditional Kuwaiti-style dresses,
Kenyan clothes, Kenyan food and more.
Everyone of all ages is welcome. DATE:
Saturday, October 30, from 10 am to 5 pm.
LOCATION: TIES Center (www.tiescenter.net), Shuhada area of South Surra, Block
4, Street 413, House 67. For more information, call 97144138/97798222 or e-mail
amina.ties@gmail.com.

Kala Kuwait’s painting competition

ala Kuwait, will hold a drawing and painting competition on Friday, November 5,
K
2010 at the Indian Community School,
Khaithan Branch at 2 pm. The program will
be conducted in four different age groups.
Group A from LKG to 1st Standard, Group B
from 2nd to 4th Standard, Group C from 5th
to 8th Standard and Group D from 9th to 12th
Standard. The media for Group A and B will
be crayons while Group C and D are water
colors. Crayons and water colors to be
brought by the participants. Stamped drawing
papers will be supplied by the organizers.
Clay Modeling Competition also will be conducted for 7th to 11th Standard Students.

Nair Service Society (NSS)
to host initiation day
air Service Society, Kuwait (NSS Kuwait)
to host the “Vidhyarambham Day” for the
N
Eighth consecutive year today, 4:00AM

ndian Dentists’ Alliance in Kuwait (IDAK) held the “Meet and Greet Program” for its members on Friday, October 8 at Avanti Palace Restaurant. The highlight of the program was the introduction of the new office bearers
and the release of the membership card by the President Dr. Peter D’Souza. The Immediate Past President Dr. David Gnanasekhar was honoured with the first membership card. There was also a lecture by K. Nagarajan
of Warba Insurance Co. Dr. Aju Thomas conducted the fun-filled program with games and exciting prizes to give away.

onwards until 7:00AM (early morning) at the
Indian Community School, Amman Branch,
Salmiya.
On the Vidhyarambham day, young children
between the age of 2 and 3 yrs are introduced
into the world of alphabets or letters and they
take the first step into the world of knowledge. NSS Kuwait’s Vidyarambham Day is a
very special annual event to be held in
Kuwait every year on the Vijayadashami day.
For this initiation of children into the world of
learning, NSS Kuwait invites renowned and
leading personalities and scholars associated
with literature, medicine, education, arts,
engineering etc to adorn the role of Guru to
the children. This year, NSS Kuwait has
invited Dr.Narayanan Nampoory, Senior
Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant
Physician in Kuwait to perform the role of
the Guru. This program is open for all Indians
and requires pre-registration. Registration is
free and can be done by calling
Riggae/Farwaniya: 97601637,
Abbasiya/Hasawi: 99636472, Abu
Halifa/Mahboula: 94067350,
Salmiya/Hawally/Kuwait City: 66387400,
Fahaheel/Mangaf/Ahmadi: 97953488,
66059471.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

WHAT’S ON IN KUWAIT

31

Today

Gulf Voice of Mangalore 2010: Youth
Recreation Center (Rising Stars), on the completion of 30 glorious years in Kuwait has organized
a maiden/mega Singing Competition, the “Gulf
Voice of Mangalore 2010” on October 17;
Kuwait’s very own voice, Vinay Lewis was
declared the winner of ‘Gulf Voice of Mangalore
2010. After the super success of this event we
are back again with Gulf Voice of Mangalore
2010’. The auditions/preliminary rounds for
Kuwait already held on June 11, 2010 under the
leadership of Lawrence Pinto and Louis
Rodrigues and 12 semi-finalists (six male and
females each) were chosen to compete for the
semi-finals in Kuwait on October 8, 2010 at the
American International School - Hawalli. On this
day two finalists, one male and one female each
will be chosen to enter the grand-finale. Famous
personalities in the music field will arrive from
Mangalore to judge the semi-finalists. There will
be an entertainment program by visiting artists
from Mangalore as well as the local artists.
Twelve finalists from six Gulf countries will be
fighting for the coveted title in the grand-finale to
be held in Dubai on October 22, 2010. For further
information about this competition, contact
Lawrence - 99803755, Louis - 66561184. Wilson 99719938.
OCT 21
Rendezvous 2010: The Kuwait Chapter of the St.
Aloysius College Alumni Association (SACAA
KUWAIT) have announced that “Rendezvous”
their hallmark event will be conducted on 21st
October at Asia Asia Restaurant, Souk Al Watiya,
Kuwait City from 8 pm onwards. This year,
SACAA Kuwait celebrates five years of its existence in Kuwait. SACAA-Kuwait has been synonymous with various fund raising initiatives
through which they consistently supported various needs of their Alma Mater and its students
back in Mangalore, India. Through Rendezvous2010, SACAA-Kuwait intends to help generate
funds for the Poor Students Fund of St. Aloysius
institutions where numerous needy students look
forward to assistance to subsidize their costs.
SACAA Kuwait calls upon all Aloysians, their
families and also like minded people to join this
noble cause and help make life a little better for
those needy students back home. For entry passes and further information, kindly contact 66731828, 66746425, 66181041, 94093275,
66699857, 66091962.
OCT 22
ashn e Bahara’n: Indian Cultural Society (ICS)
presents “Jashn e Bahara’n” with Ghazal
singer Talat Aziz & famous Poets on 22nd
October 2010 Friday at 7.30 pm sharp. The Chief
Guest for the event will be H.E. AJAI MALHOTRA Ambassador of India and the Guest of honor
will be renowned personalities from Kuwait.
Young talents from Kuwait will be another attraction of the evening. So, join us for entertainment
on 22nd October, 2010 Friday, at the Auditorium
Al Jeel Al Jadeed School, Tunees Street, Opp- Al
Bahar Center (Canary Restra.) Hawally. For
more details. Please contact: 97690035,
66568147, 94450833, 99812832, 97296577,
99788692, 94068099 & 24716004
Email ics.kuwait@gmail.com Web Page:
www.nazarkesamne.webs.com

‘J

T

he 12th CBSE Kuwait cluster for U-19 volleyball which was held at
ICSK, Khaitan displayed amazing performances by the volleyball players of the various schools. The principal of the school, Mr. Elango
inaugurated the event. The CSK team headed by their captain Chetan
Anand and team mates Sherwin Noronha, Evangelist Anthony, Scott
Gomes, Kelvin D’souza, Karan Soni, Mohd Shahin,Reuben Lasrado,
Rinaldo Menezes, Myron Menezes, Tom Joseph and Arjun Mohindra

kicked off the tournament with a grand start winning their first match
against Indian Central School 3-0
They went on to defeat ICSK 2-1. The silver lining was the match
against UIS a competent rival over the years. The CSK team gathered up
every ounce of grit and determination and played with skill leaving no
room for errors, emerging triumphant. Their victory 25-17 was indeed a
jackpot, much to the delight of coach Suresh and the Carmel management

who were the motivating force behind them.
The awe struck captain, Chetan was mobbed by a euphoric team.
Kelvin D’souza, won a well deserved ‘Player of the Tournament Award’
and a tribute to his scintillating smashing and clever placing. The players
performance was commendable. It is clear that the team’s co-operative
efforts won them laurels. Kudos to the team, captain and coach. It was
truly a dream come true.

Prabhojt Kaur in her brief speech highlighted Gandhi’s principles of
simplicity, truthfulness and non-violence. The Vande Madaram song
sung by Master Sahaj and his troupe kindled the patriotic feelings
among the students and got the thunderous applause. The entire
assembly was spellbound when Master Tausif and Master Zakaria

dressed as Gandhi and Nehru emerged on the stage to the applause of
the audience. Prinicipal Basheer Ahmed stressed the importance of
Gandhian principles and also pointed out that they were still valid even
in the present era. The special assembly came to an end with the
singing of the National Anthem.

OCT 29
nathanima tug of war: Thanima is conducting
its annual Onam celebrations along with its
celebrated tug of war competitions on October 29
at Central School compound, Abbasiya. Cultural
procession, concert and other attractive cultural
items will add glitter to the evening function in
which many prominent personalities are expected to be present. Those teams wishing to participate in the tug of war competition, please contact
99865499 / 97253653 / 66071276 / 99703872.

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH
The Embassy of
the People’s
Republic of
Bangladesh in
Kuwait has taken
up an initiative to
update the database of Bangladesh
nationals residing in the State of Kuwait.
For inclusion in the database all the
Bangladesh nationals are requested to
collect the Registration Form from the
Labour Wing of the Embassy. The forms
can also be collected sending request to
bdoot@kems.net e-mail address. The
filled-in forms can also be submitted by
hand, by email or by fax (number 24913204).
EMBASSY OF CANADA
The Embassy of
Canada is open
from 7:30 am to
3:30 pm from
Sunday through
Thursday.
Consular Services for Canadian Citizens
are provided from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm
on Sunday through Wednesday. Canada
offers a registration service for all
Canadians travelling or living abroad.
This service is provided so that Consular
Officials can contact and assist Canadians
in an emergency in a foreign country,
such as a natural disaster or civil unrest,

A

special assembly was conducted at IIS by the students of Class X
on September 30 to pay homage to the apostle of peace Mahatma
Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary. The program began
with Quran recitation followed by its translation. Ms Swathy shared
with the audience some of the wonderful thoughts of Gandhi. Miss

or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada
encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of
Canada Travel Website at
www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian
Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and
immigration services to residents of
Kuwait. Individuals who are interested
in visiting, working or immigrating to
Canada are invited to visit the website of
the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at
www.UAE.gc.ca.
The Embassy of Canada is located at
Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St, Block 4 in
Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at
www.kuwait.gc.ca.
EMBASSY OF INDIA
The Embassy of
India has further
revamped and
improved its Legal
Advice Clinic at the
Indian Workers
Welfare Center, and made the free service
available to Indian nationals on all five
working days, i.e. from Sunday to
Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers
would be available at the Legal Advice
Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday,
while Indian lawyers would be available on
Sundays. Following are the free welfare
services provided at the Indian Workers
Welfare Center located at the Embassy of
India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic

EMBASSY OF NEPAL
On the occasion of
the Vijaya Dashami
2067, the Embassy
of Nepal will
remain closed
today and tomorrow.
EMBASSY OF THE NETHERLANDS
The Embassy of the
Kingdom of the
Netherlands together
with Holland Marine
Equipment organize
a Dutch maritime
trade mission to the State of Kuwait the latest Dutch innovations in maritime products
and services.
The trade mission, which will take place
on October 24, will bring 12 prominent
Dutch companies to Kuwait. These Dutch
companies are globally-experienced specialized in unique marine products and services
and eager to develop strong business relations with prospective Kuwaiti firms.
The mission’s agenda will feature an
arrangement for business meetings to enable
Dutch and Kuwaiti firms to explore areas of
interest and business opportunities.
This trade mission to Kuwait and the
Arabian Gulf is a good and effective way for
Kuwaiti companies to get acquainted with
Dutch suppliers.
For further information on the participating companies and to register for a business

to business meeting, contact Nidaa AlRajoudi (25312650 ext 205) or send an email
to kwe-ea@minbuza.nl no later than
October 17.
EMBASSY OF SWAZILAND
The Embassy of
the Kingdom of
Swaziland to the
State of Kuwait is
promoting investment, tourism and
trade between the Kingdom of Swaziland
and the State of Kuwait. A business expo
will be held on the 13th and 14th of
October in collaboration with the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry. All
businessmen and members of the diplomatic corps and the public are hereby
invited to the expo which will be held at
the offices of the Kuwait Chamber of
Commerce & Industry commencing at 12
PM until late on both days.
EMBASSY OF THAILAND
All foreigners who
apply for Tourist
Visa at the Royal
Thai Embassies and
the Royal Thai
Consulate General
worldwide, including eligible foreigners
who apply for Visa on arrival at designated
checkpoints, will be exempted from
tourist visa fees until 31 March 2011.
Such arrangement is for Tourist Visa only.

EMBASSY OF THE US
The United States
Department of State
announces the
increase in various
visa fees to ensure
sufficient resources
to cover the increasing cost of processing
nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). US law requires
the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the
collection of the application fees. The
increased fees are to take effect June 4,
2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all
visas that are not petition-based, including
B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and
all student and exchange-visitor visas, will
pay a fee of $140. Applicants for petitionbased visas will pay an application fee of
$150, as each of the below categories
requires a review of extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the
applicant than other categories, such as
tourists.
These categories include:
H visa for temporary workers and trainees
L visa for intra-company transferees
O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability
P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers
Q visa for international cultural exchange
visitors
R visa for religious occupations
The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s
of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E
visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors
will be $390.

The Closer
Dollhouse
Ghost Whisperer
GMA Live RPT
Kathy Griffin
Royal Pains
Smallville
The Ellen de Generes Show
Ghost Whisperer
Dollhouse
The Closer
Good Morning America Live
Kathy Griffin
Royal Pains
Smallville
The Ellen de Generes Show
The Bachelor
Eureka
Cold Case
Sons of Anarchy
Saving Grace
The Ellen de Generes Show
GMA Live RPT
Kathy Griffin

Cash In The Attic
Fantasy Homes In The City
Indian Food Made Easy
Rhodes Across China
Cash In The Attic
Living In The Sun
Antiques Roadshow
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Saturday Kitchen 2008/09
Saturday Kitchen 2008/09
Living In The Sun
Fantasy Homes By The Sea
The Home Show
Cash In The Attic
Fantasy Homes In The City
Daily Cooks Challenge
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Cash In The Attic
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Indian Food Made Easy
Rhodes Across China
Coastal Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen 2008/09
Saturday Kitchen 2008/09
Living In The Sun
Fantasy Homes By The Sea
The Home Show

Kid Vs Kat
Kid Vs Kat
American Dragon
American Dragon
Phineas And Ferb
Aaron Stone
I’m In The Band
Kick Buttowski
Have A Laugh
Phineas And Ferb
Zeke And Luther
Zeke And Luther
The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody
The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody
Thirteenth Year
Phineas And Ferb
Have A Laugh
The Super Hero Squad Show
Kick Buttowski
The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody
Phineas And Ferb
I’m In The Band
Zeke And Luther
Zeke And Luther
The Super Hero Squad Show
Have A Laugh
Phineas And Ferb
Suite Life On Deck
Phineas And Ferb
Phineas And Ferb
Kid Vs Kat
Aaron Stone
Kick Buttowski
Zeke And Luther
Zeke And Luther
Have A Laugh
Shreducation
Pokemon
Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

Aliens In The Attic on Super Movies
19:00 Saturday Night Live
20:30 Better Off Ted
21:00 Community
21:30 Two and half men
22:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
(repeat)
22:30 The Colbert Report (repeat)
23:00 Entourage

Lazytown
Imagination Movers
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Handy Manny
Special Agent Oso
Handy Manny
Jungle Junction
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Special Agent Oso
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Handy Manny
Special Agent Oso
Jungle Junction

00:00 The Order-PG15
02:00 Changing Lanes-PG15
04:00 Shadows In Paradise-PG15
06:00 Harry Potter And The Order Of
The Phoenix-PG
08:20 Daylight-PG15
10:20 Capers-PG15
12:00 Harry Potter And The Order Of
The Phoenix-PG
14:20 Final Encounter-PG15
16:00 Traitor-PG15
18:00 District 13: Ultimatum-18
20:00 Children Of The Corn-18
22:00 Traitor-PG15

02:15 The Boy In The Striped PyjamasPG15
04:15 The Good Heart-PG15
06:00 Take The Lead-PG
08:00 Operating Instructions-PG15
10:00 Night At The Museum : Battle Of
The Smithsonian-PG15
12:00 The Day The Earth Stood StillPG15
14:00 Take The Lead-PG
16:00 Aliens In The Attic-FAM
18:00 Rachel Getting Married-PG15
20:00 The Ramen Girl-PG15
22:00 Enemies Among Us-PG15

Inside The Volcano
Dinosaur Secrets
Cities Of The Underworld
Ax Men
Modern Marvels
Investigating History
Inside The Volcano
Dinosaur Secrets
Cities Of The Underworld
Ax Men
Modern Marvels
Investigating History
Inside The Volcano
Dinosaur Secrets
Cities Of The Underworld
Ax Men
Modern Marvels
Investigating History
How The Earth Was Made 2
Life After People
Clash Of The Gods
Ancient Discoveries
Modern Marvels
The Universe 3
Ufo Files

33
ACCOMMODATION
Sharing accommodation
available in C-A/C building
near Salmiya Church available big room with attached
bathroom for Indian families
or working ladies or bachelors. Please contact:
67714275. (C 2768)
Sharing accommodation
available with Keralite
Christian couple Edee Store
for a couple or decent bachelors. Window A/C and
fridge and cable connection
already. All other facility
common. Available from 1st
October, 2010. Contact:
66418746. (C 2770)
16-10-2010
Sharing accommodation
available in Abbassiya near
Hi-Dine Super Market, for
two decent bachelors or
small family. Contact:
24312462 after 2 pm.
(C 2716)
Khaitan - Single furnished
room and sharing room is
available for decent Indian
bachelor in double bedroom
C-A/C building, from October. Contact: 97523316 /
24745162. (C 2735)
Two rooms for rent in Salwa block 10, C-A/C flat with
separate bath room & reasonable rent, internet facility
available. Please Contact:
99856676. (C 2766)
Sharing accommodation
available for working
women or family, with a
Muslim family near United
Indian School, Abbassiya.
Pls call: 97612248.
(C 2767)
14-10-2010
Room available C-A/C, with
small Goan Hindu family or
for one executive Indian
(Hindu). Near Al-Rashid
Hospital, Amman Street,
Salmiya.
Contact:
99408202. (C 2761)
Sharing accommodation
available from today
onwards for Indian executive bachelor in 2 bedroom,
C-A/C flat in Salmiya,
Amman Street with some
facilities in room. Contact:
65718627. (C 2762)
Two bedrooms fully furnished, very spacious flat
available for sale in Farwaniya. Contact: 66258272.
(C 2763)
13-10-2010

another person is a subject you may ponder this
Saturday. Relationships—romantic, business,
social—are the arena where a drama is played.
Coming to know the other person and what causes
ties that bind two people, helps you to a better
understanding of yourself. It’s easy in theory, but it’s only in practice that
it comes to mean anything real—so practice until you get it right! This
may be a challenging day in which you can use your skills and expertise
to solve problems and feel successful. Figuring things out, spotting the
fly in the ointment, separating the sheep from the goats begin to take on
a special appeal for you. Seeing both sides of an issue and figuring out
resolutions to opposing views is important to you now.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is a good day to take

off for a vacation or just take the time to relax.
Perhaps it is time for a weekend camp-out. Time
away from regular responsibilities gives you new
insight and renewed appreciation of just where you
are in life. Refinement and relationships are the keys to emotional
satisfaction for you now. Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying—and
the lack of them can be emotionally unsettling. Close personal ties to
other people are a focal point for your feelings—marriage and other
partnerships could be a key arena for this. This is a great time to enjoy a
positive sort of project with your mate. Perhaps together you can help
with the elderly in your neighborhood or a single mother or sign up to
speak at a Scout meeting.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS
1. (nautical, aeronautical) Situated at or toward the stern or tail.
4. Realistic Norwegian author who wrote plays on social and political themes
(1828-1906).
9. A system of one or more computers and associated software with common
storage.
13. Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.
14. The process of gradually becoming inferior.
15. (trademark) A type of inflatable air mattress.
16. Affected manners intended to impress others.
18. The products of human creativity.
20. Thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern.
23. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.
24. A state in northwestern North America.
25. Wear away.
28. English monk and scholar (672-735).
31. German mathematician who created the Klein bottle (1849-1925).
34. Goddess of fate.
35. The use of bacteria or viruses of toxins to destroy men and animals or food.
37. A republic in northeastern Europe on the Baltic Sea.
39. Popular music originating in the West Indies.
41. At right angles to the center line of a ship.
42. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the
Titans in ancient mythology.
43. A unit of information equal to one million (1,048,576) bytes.
44. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of
Indonesia or of Malaysia.
50. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient
Semitic peoples.
53. (plate tectonic theory) A hypothetical continent including all the landmass of
the earth prior to the Triassic period when it split into Laurasia and
Gondwanaland.
55. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.
59. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).
60. (informal) Of the highest quality.
61. A plumbing fixture (usually attached to the wall) used by men to urinate.
62. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.
63. Experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness.
64. A printed impression that is blurred or doubled.
65. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.
DOWN
1. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of
Jezebel (9th century BC).
2. Free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception.
3. Someone new to a field or activity.
4. A state in the Rocky Mountains.
5. A small ball with a hole through the middle.
6. Make a high-pitched, screeching noise, as of a door.
7. Take in solid food.
8. A Mid-Atlantic state.
9. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.
10. The 11 southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861.
11. Humble request for help.
12. A sodium salt of carbonic acid.
17. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.
19. A mental representation of some haunting experience.
21. Jordan's port.
22. A port city in northwestern France (in Brittany).
26. The whiteness that results from removing the color from something.
27. A figure of a person made of packed snow.
29. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some
special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).
30. At or constituting a border or edge.
32. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring in the air.
33. Nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous
wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate.
36. English writer and a central member of the Fabian Society (1858-1943).
38. Tag the base runner to get him out.
40. A Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man.
45. Of or related to the amnion or characterized by developing an amnion.
46. Strike with disgust or revulsion.
47. A river that rises in central Germany and flows north to join the Elbe River.
48. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.
49. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds
within a fleshy wall or pericarp.
51. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.
52. In bed.
54. Offering fun and gaiety.
56. A preparation (usually made of sweetened chicle) for chewing.
57. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or
event.
58. A liquid used for printing or writing or drawing.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) A family member may ask
for a loan today. If this is a habit, you might find a polite
way to decline. There are many reasons, however, that
you will want to make the loan and of course, a nominal
amount is appropriate, unless it is a habit and never is
returned. A new animal pet or a young pet will be the most attentive of your
pets. This would be the perfect time to begin a bit of training. It would be
best to find a professional trainer, perhaps through your veterinarian. If you
are lucky enough to find a class today, be sure to take pictures or have
someone take pictures as this would be a fun topic of conversation with your
friends that show off their pets. You might enjoy shopping for ingredients
that you could use to make healthy snacks for your pet.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) This is a good time to be
creative and secure the positive. Ideology is a keynote of
the new phase you have begun—the power of ideas and
the power they wield over people. Religious, cultural or
philosophical controversies and crusades have a way of
stirring your blood. Travel and adventure are compelling temptations as you
dare to test your mettle and stretch your horizons. Family and home are a
focus for change now; old familiar patterns undergo an irrevocable
transformation. Time flows in one direction only. Real estate investments
offer lucrative rewards at only a small risk. Imaginative approaches to health,
food and self-improvement may be where your interests are this evening. A
loved one is willing to participate in this undertaking with you.
Leo (July 23-August 22) Your mind is quick and sharp
and your words are the only tool you will need today. You
have insight into your emotions and drive and you move
beyond feelings with great insight. Feelings are the
indicators that one should pay attention to but not the
truth of a matter. It may take a while for some people to see the wisdom you
have accumulated but you will be able to teach others through your example.
Do not concern yourself so much when you are tested; there will naturally
be some testing. This testing helps you and others learn problem-solving
techniques. Your analytical powers are superb and you enjoy finding new
avenues of inner growth. Your intuition is strong and can guide you
accurately in making forecasts or decisions.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Circumstances force you
to reorganize and be more conservative. A garage sale or help
with a bazaar to bring in money for a charity is successful and
should go rather smoothly. Others value you for your ability to
make practical decisions concerning group issues. Clear
decisions affecting others could be made now. This is also a
time when you may marry or take on a new role in the
community or with other people. You will be in demand and recognition will
be forthcoming—go for it. Circumstances are working in your favor to help
you and raise you up—push you forward. You have a stick-to-itiveness that
always finds you in the thick of things; working through it. Let someone else
entertain you this evening—go to a concert, etc. Have fun!

Libra (September 23-October 22) Religious,
cultural or philosophical controversies and crusades have
a way of stirring your blood. Travel and adventure are
compelling temptations as you dare to test your mettle
and stretch your horizons. You and a neighbor may combine your effort in a
yard sale today. You might be surprised at the results, particularly the new
closet space you now have. If this is not the effort of the day, it will be some
effort in which you will work with others to gain funds. You like to do things
with care and enjoy being discriminating and exact. Your critical faculties are
excellent, and you can always pick out what is worth saving. The ways you get
around and stay in touch at the everyday level are changed by technology; you
could get lost in the fun of it all this evening.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) There is a growing

self-confidence and outgoing attitude—you have brought
to a close a time of inward examination and learning. You
have a growing sense of direction and self-worth and will
find you reach out and establish yourself. There is a
period of greater social involvement—especially with
neighbors and brothers or sisters now. Learning and teaching seems to
satisfy an important need and being more in touch with other people
gives you a sense of belonging. You may have the urge to overspend or
indulge too much just now. Careful—you could be guiding a young
person and may want to set an example. Don’t be afraid to make plans
for future steps to making your dreams real. There could be a graduation
to celebrate soon.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You tend
to take everything with great passion. Your drive to get at
the heart and truth of things is constantly invoked and
serves as a common theme in your life. This could be a
touch-and-go time when it comes to your emotions and
the environment in which you find yourself. You may be up against it for a
while, as things get tight and progress is slowed. You may find that your
personal growth may depend upon how you can handle a sensitive person now.
Your emotional life may seem to slow to a trickle or be completely blocked by
another. Patience—this will pass—you can only make your situation more
difficult if you complain. View the day as though it belonged to someone else;
new insight can be enjoyed. This evening you are able to relax.

Yesterday’s Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You are
in a great mood of self-enjoyment today and this is
good as the people around you are busy and involved
with many things. You may deal with education,
psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching
principles and techniques. Ideas and thoughts will
have greater meaning and form just now. You may complete your chores
early and decide to spend the afternoon in a library. You need to keep your
library card updated by coming in more often; there are many new things to
keep one entertained for a very long time: music, recorded books, classes,
help with homework and good looking, smart people. You are at your mental
best when you are communicating with others and may just find a new
friend today.

Yesterday’s Solution

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This day is not too
lazy or too stressful—time for accomplishing tasks or
setting things up to work in your favor. Prepare ahead for
times that you know you will be extremely busy. Educational
matters may be high on your priority list at this time,
whether it is for yourself or in helping someone. You may
find an opportunity to make a little extra money by tutoring
someone; at least you could let others know you are capable. Close
personal ties to other people are a focal point for your feelings—marriage
and other partnerships could be a key arena for this. You enjoy
experimenting with a new recipe tonight. The ingredients may not be
something you will care for, but another person will adore you for trying.
Have some tasty side dishes available.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Although you will find
an overall increase in your finances this month, you may
also find an increased urge to spend. Less is sometimes
better—every month may not fare so well. Savings and
investments should take uppermost attention now. Your
financial earnings could be best found in the medical or health food fields.
You may be considering travel to a foreign land soon, especially if your job
concerns are in import, export. There is a greater than usual interest in
relationships, social connections and the arts. Seeing both sides of an
issue—and figuring out resolutions to opposing views—take on more
importance in your life. The highest standards of truth and beauty are
some of the things that quicken your pulse now.

POLICE STATION
Al-Madena Police Station
Al-Murqab Police Station
Al-Daiya Police Station
Al-Fayha’a Police Station
Al-Qadissiya Police Station
Al-Nugra Police Station
Al-Salmiya Police Station
Al-Dasma Police Station

24874330/9
CLINICS

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

4892674

Al-Omariya

4719048

N.Kheitan

4710044

Rabiya

4732263

Fintas

3900322

THE PUBLIC
AUTHORITY FOR
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Automated enquiry
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AIRLINES

he actor and wife Katie
Holmes always take
four-year-old Suri with
them when working and after
travelling to countries including Japan, Brazil, Australia and
England, the youngster has
developed a fear of planes after
constant moving between time
zones severely disrupted her
routine. A source said: “Suri’s
sleep patterns have been seriously disturbed from all the
travelling. It’s why you often
see her when she’s abroad
being carried with a blanket as
though she’s a baby. “It has
got to the stage where she
screams whenever she sees a
plane. It’s an open secret she
doesn’t like flying
and has trouble
sleeping

Sunday, October 17, 2010

T

Cruise’s
daughter
hates
travelling

for
days
after
she’s been on
a flight.” Suri
reportedly made her feelings
known to her parents during a
recent trip to Prague, where
Tom was scouting locations for
‘Mission Impossible IV’. A
source explained: “Suri kept
saying, ‘Home now, home
now.’ Suri’s a homebody and
she’s not afraid to let everyone
know.”

Cee Lo Green
saved by song

ady Gaga is known as ‘Lady
DullDull’ among her tour
crew. The ‘Alejandro’ singer real name Stefani Germanotta - is
well-known for her outlandish stage
outfits but is said to prefer a more
comfortable look when she is offduty, opting for baseball caps and
sweat pants. A tour insider
explained to National Enquirer magazine: “She gets all comfy in sweats
and a baseball, then becomes the
easygoing gal we jokingly call ‘our
den mom’. Another nickname we
have for her is ‘Lady DullDull’,
because she looks just like any one
of us. “And Stefani’s sweet as a

L

Jewish mom, always mediating and
offering advice on the crew’s dating
problems, family issues, or whatever. She not only listens to everyone’s problems, she gives really
great advice on how to fix them.” In
the past, the kooky star has
revealed she thinks it’s important to
maintain her public persona at all
times. She said: “If I were to ever,
God forbid, get hurt onstage and my
fans were screaming outside of the
hospital, waiting for me to come out,
I’d come out as Gaga. I don’t even
drink water onstage in front of anybody, because I want them to focus
on the fantasy of the music.”

Garfield’s spider man
ndrew Garfield was felt like he was “floating” in a
bubble after landing the lead in ‘Spider-Man’. The
27-year-old actor was thrilled to be told he would be
playing the superhero in the upcoming installation of the
superhero film franchise, but had to
remind himself he was only playing the
role and not becoming Spider-Man in real
life. He said: “When I found out about
being cast in ‘Spider-Man’, it was like this
bubble developed around me. I was floating in it for a while. And then, suddenly, it
evaporated, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m just
an actor. I don’t get to actually be SpiderMan.’ But maybe I’ll have moments where
I’m convinced that I am and those periods
of fantasy will get me through.” However,
the hype around his role as Peter Parker
and his alter-ego have helped Andrew
understand the problems his new character would face. He said: “I think it’s going
to be a little bit more complicated than
what I imagined. And, of course, I’m going
to feel a great pressure, which might be one of Peter
Parker’s great struggles, in having to live up to this thing
that he is supposed to be or symbolises. It will be interesting. I think the more I can tie into my own reality, the better and more enriching it will be for everyone involved.”

A

im Ka rda shia n is having
second thoughts about having
a “big family”. The 29-yearold single socialite has always
dreamed of having several children
but us having second thoughts after
seeing how tough her sister
Kourtney finds bringing up her 10month-old son Mason. She explained:
“I’ve always wanted a big family. But
seeing how much hard work brining
up Mason is for Kourt has given me a
reality check. I don’t think I’ll be
rushing into that just yet!” The

K

brunette beauty also admitted she
thinks Kourtney’s partner Scott
Disick has “really matured” since he
sought help after he was seen smashing a up a bathroom mirror in a
drunken rage while filming reality TV
show ‘Kourtney and Khloe take
Miami’. Kim added: “I think I’m the
most tolerant of Scott in our family.
Kourtney and Scott have been
through some rough patches but
Scott has really matured. “Hopefully
he’s got proper help now, so it won’t
happen again.”

Ed Westwick
raunchy
messages
d Westw ick sends sexy texts ‘all the time’. The
‘Gossip Girl’ star - who is believed to have rekindled his romance with co-star Jessica Szohr - admitted he is a fan of sending raunchy messages, as they are
easier than making telephone calls. When asked about the
texts he said: “Oh yeah, I send saucy texts all the time.
They’re very saucy you know. I use that classic line, ‘what
are you wearing?’ people are braver when it comes to texts
because they can hide behind them.” British-born Ed, who
is now based in New York, also said he’s not a fan of using
cheesy chat up lines on girls himself, but that girls
approach him with some very strange lines. He added:
“I’m not a ‘Get your coat, you’re pulled’ kind of guy.
Although I’m sure I did use that line when I was 13 at
the under 18s disco. “Some girls say the weirdest
things like, ‘I’ve been to London’, then they try to
have a conversation with me all about London. I’m
like, ‘Great!’ “A lot of people still don’t realize
I’m English , which is funny. The amount of
times I’ve said, ‘Yes, I’m English.”
— Bang Show biz

E
C

McFly to be remixed by Roger Sanchez
he ‘Song For the Radio’ group who unveiled a new pop-dance
influenced sound on their latest
album ‘Above The Noise’ - met the
dance superstar at a London hotel in
August, and singer Danny Jones said
he was instantly reminded of Dallas
Austin, who produced tracks on their
new LP. He said: “Roger got in touch,
so I met him when we were in
America. He reminded me a lot of
Dallas Austin but with a sentimental
side. He’s got family and hangs out
with his kids, whereas Dallas would
be like ‘Wahey, let’s go out and get
some birds. “But he was a lot like
Dallas, he wore his shades inside and
stuff, he’s a really nice guy and he

T

gave me some good advice and wants
to do some McFly remixes and stuff,
and he wants to help me with my
dance project.” The ‘Party Girl’
group - which also includes Tom
Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Harry
Judd - also said that when it comes to
partying themselves, they prefer to
hang out with each other rather than
at clubs or showbiz events. Dougie
exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “We
don’t really go to many celebrity parties. I think the majority of our parties are at home with our friends, or
just us lot. They’re like the bad nights
for hangovers. But we do sort of
branch out to the clubs and have a
crazy night every now and then.”

Mark Ruffaloʼs

ee Lo Green says music saved his life.
The soul singer-and-rapper admits his
troubled childhood - including the death
of his father at the age of two and his mother
when he was 18 - led to him getting involved
with gangs and drugs before being sent away to
military school. But it was his love for music
which inspired him to follow a different path.
He said: “Without music I don’t think I would
have escaped that life. I had all this energy good and evil - and felt like there was some
tug of war for my soul. The evil inside me
was a lot more urgent and insistent and so
was winning quite a bit when I was young.”
The ‘Forget You’ hitmaker revealed it was
a slow process to change his bad boy ways
but he can now see how much he has progressed
simply by listening to his songs. He explained: “At
first music gave my anger a cause. But music meant I
could exorcise that fear and pain and anger. Back then I did not
have the ability to articulate anything. So now in my songs I
can hear my own growth.”

ark Ruffalo is thrilled to be playing his favourite
comic-book character in a new movie. The actor was
delighted to be offered the role of Bruce Banner and
his alter ego The Incredible Hulk in ‘The Avengers’ because
it was someone he had always been fascinated by. He said: “I
grew up loving the Hulk. He was by far my favourite comicbook character, and I always used to watch the TV show,
which was brilliant. You could see him struggling with the
human aspect of what was happening.” The 42-year-old actor
also admitted it is rare he would agree to star in such a bigbudget blockbuster, but knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t miss. He said: “I know some people don’t associate me
with these really big productions. I generally prefer the rough
and tumble of smaller filmmaking, but this was such an opportunity.” The star has also seen instant benefits to the boost in
profile that his attachment to the Marvel movie has given
him. He explained: “Honestly. Just consider ‘Second
Coming’, which I am doing with Marion Cotillard. “It was
completely dead, and when they announced that I had got
‘The Avengers’, literally, a couple of hours later the finance
was pushed through. How cool is that?”

M

SPECTRUM

Sunday, October 17, 2010

37

Lifestyle

An Acehnese
woman sits at a
Muslim headscarf
shop in a market
in Banda Aceh,
Aceh province,
Indonesia,
yesterday. Aceh is
the only province
in the world’s
most populous
Muslim nation
that
officially adopted
Islamic sharia
law. Nearly all of
the province’s 4
million residents
are
Muslim. — AP

Crocheted coral exhibit carries environmental warning
By Virginie Montet
rom afar, a casual viewer
could mistake the coral reefs
on display at Washington’s
Natural History Museum for the
real thing, but in fact, it’s colorful

F

crochet artwork with an environmental message. The exhibit is the
work of some 800 women, and a
few men too, who hope to draw
attention to the plight of the
world’s coral reefs, which face
stress, degradation and outright
extinction because of damaging
human activity. Participants ranging
in age from three to 101 years old
responded to a call for project volunteers by organizers Margaret and
Christine Wertheim, Australian
activists with the Institute for
Figuring.
The results are captivating
pieces of work-barriers of coral that
stand three meters (yards) tall,
with multicolored strands of wool
that mimic the curves and curls of
coral, anemones and starfish. Fluffy
stubs with threads in red and green
site next to pink and purple structures with curling edges that seem
to undulate as they would in the
water deep beneath the ocean’s
surface. The exhibit is entitled
“Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef,” a
reference to the hyperbolic geometry of coral, which has so far proven
impossible to reproduce physically
except through the medium of crochet, organizers say.
“We like to surprise our visitors.
You don’t expect to see crochet... in
a Natural History museum,” said
Barbara Stauffer, chief of temporary
exhibits at the Washington institution. “It’s a good way to raise

awareness. I learned how to crochet. I made three very small
pieces I hope are tucked somewhere and I’m going to spend the
next few days trying to find them,”
she added. “Twenty percent of the
world’s coral reefs have been

E

colorful reefs in tropical waters.”
Coral reefs worldwide face multiple
threats from human activity, including global warming, which raises
the ocean temperatures to dangerous levels, and acidification, which
can bleach and kill coral.

The art pieces of Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute for Figuring
the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, is displayed at the Smithsonian’s National
Museum of Natural History. — AFP photos

Spain: Pre-civil war novel wins major prize
duardo Mendoza has won Spain’s most
lucrative literary prize for a novel set in
Madrid on the eve of the country’s devastating civil war.The Premio Planeta was
announced late Friday at a ceremony in
Barcelona and carries a $846,750 cash award.
Mendoza’s novel “Rina de gatos, Madrid 1936”
(Cat Fight, Madrid 1936) is set just before hostilities erupted in what became a three-year conflict.
The plot centers on a British art expert who
visits Spain in the increasingly chaotic days
before war and discovers a canvas which appears
to be a previously unknown Velazquez painting of
incalculable value. Among the real characters in

destroyed in the last couple of
decades,” pointed out David Stuart,
deputy chief of mission at the
Australian embassy in Washington,
as he opened the exhibit.
“If we go on like this we will
lose the reefs, particularly the very

the novel are right-wing politician Jose Antonio
Primo de Rivera and Gen. Francisco Franco, who
was to become dictator of Spain after the conflict.
“The novel poses readers with the problem of
what they would do if faced with those circumstances, which fortunately we aren’t in any
more,” Mendoza said at a news conference on
Saturday. The prize was founded in 1952 by
Planeta, one of Spain’s top publishers, and is
open to both Spaniards and Latin Americans.
Previous winners include Nobel laureates for literature Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru and the late
Spaniard Camilo Jose Cela, who won the Nobel in
1989. —AP

Switzerland dog show

A woman grooms her dog during an animal beauty contest at the Swiss
Animalia Exposition in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. Animalia is
the biggest animal exposition in Switzerland. —AP

Overfishing and pollution also
threaten the survival of the delicate
ecosystems, which could disappear
altogether over the next four

rience the beauty of coral reefs.”
The exhibition, which runs from
October 16 to April 24, 2011, carries a serious and sad message

decades, experts warn. “The reefs
that I studied 35 years ago have
largely vanished and most reefs
may well be gone by the end of the
century of sooner, if nothing is done
to protect them,” said Nancy
Knowlton, a professor of marine
biology at the Smithsonian
Institution.
“This project is a stark
reminder that if trends continue, an
exhibition like this may someday
be the only way for people to expe-

about the state of the world’s coral
reefs and the negative effects of
human activity. But Margaret
Wertheim said the creative and
unusual pieces also offer a positive
message about what can be produced by people working in coordination and collaboration towards a
common goal. “The reef project is
a giant explosion of feminine energy, a testimony to what women
can achieve when they work
together.” — AFP

Rare Audrey Hepburn
stamps at Berlin charity sale
By Mary Lane
dispute over an Audrey Hepburn
stamp in Germany is going to help
poor children in Africa. A mintcondition sheet of 10 stamps portraying
Hepburn, a coy smile on her face and a
long, black cigarette holder dangling from
her lips, is expected to fetch at least
$565,000 at a charity auction Saturday in
Berlin. Auctioneer Andreas Schlegel said
he’s received interest from four serious
bidders. Two-thirds of money raised will
go to the Audrey Hepburn Children’s
Fund, and one-third to UNICEF
Germany.
The sale brings a profitable outcome
to a botched stamp series that should
have been destroyed years ago-and
evokes Hepburn’s starring role in the
1963 thriller “Charade,” in which the
characters chase a set of rare stamps.
The German postal service printed 14
million of Hepburn stamps in 2001 showing the Belgian-born actress in her most
famous role as the ebullient Holly
Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Only after the stamps were printed was
Sean Ferrer, 50, Hepburn’s son and the
chair of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s
Fund, was contacted to grant copyrightbut he refused, arguing that the image

A

Stamps showing US actress Audrey Hepburn are presented in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct 13, 2010. A sheet
with ten stamps will be auctioned in Berlin next Saturday
for UNICEF and the Audrey Hepburn childrenís foundation. —AP
had been altered. “In the original photo,
she’s got sunglasses hanging from her
mouth, but they had flipped the negative

and replaced the glasses with the cigarette holder,” he told The Associated
Press.

Ferrer suggested using either the
original photo or an alternative, but the
postal service ended up scrapping the
stamp and ordering those produced
destroyed. Deutsche Post says it saved
only two sheets of the stamps-one for its
own archive and one for the German Post
Museum. But in 2004, a single stamp
with Hepburn smoking, postmarked
Berlin, landed on Schlegel’s desk. “I was
obviously very surprised, because they
never were supposed to be used as
stamps at all,” Schlegel said. Between
2004 and 2009, four other Hepburn
stamps turned up and were authenticated. They sold at auction for between
62,500 and 173,000 dollars.
After his success selling the fifth
stamp, Schlegel contacted Ferrer to suggest asking the German government if
they could sell one of the archived stamp
sheets for charity. But Ferrer had a better
idea: Why not the pristine sheet
Germany sent him in 2001, which he still
had? “Andreas almost fell backward and
had an apoplectic fit when he heard this,”
Ferrer said. Ferrer then signed a contract
with the German Finance Ministry,
securing rights to sell the stamp sheet
for charity and ensuring the government
would not be able to sell either of its
sheets until 2040. —AP

SPECTRUM

38

R eview

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Music

Rapper T.I. headed back
to prison for 11 months

ARTIST: BUDDY GUY
ALBUM: LIVING PROOF
uddy Guy proudly
announces himself as
“74 Years Young” at
the outset of his latest
album, “Living Proof.” But
the guitar legend still plays
with the energy of a teenager-albeit a highly talented
one-just starting out. And
when he gets his dander up
on such tracks as “Too
Soon” and “Let the Door
Knob Hit Ya,” Guy can still diss like a street gangsta. He
plays and sings with biting ferocity on “Thank Me
Someday,” “Key Don’t Fit,” “Guess What” and the albumclosing instrumental “Skanky,” fronting a band that
includes former Double Trouble keyboardist Reese
Wynans and David Grissom on second guitar. The track
“On the Road,” with the Memphis Horns, and
“Everybody’s Got to Go” explore more soulful flavors.
And Guy’s collaboration with Carlos Santana, “Where the
Blues Begins,” is dark, snaky and unlike any of the
album’s other 11 tracks. “Stay Around a Little Longer,”
meanwhile, pairs Guy and fellow stalwart B.B. King in the
studio for the first time, resulting in a friendly, if somewhat understated, celebration of their durability.

B

ARTIST: THE SECRET SISTERS
ALBUM: THE SECRET SISTERS
he Secret Sisters
are certainly out in
the open now,
thanks to a vinyl single
with Jack White and a
debut album done under
the patronage of executive producer T Bone
Burnett.
The
two
auteurs’ interest in the
Alabama duo is hardly
surprising, because the
not-so-secret sisters, Laura and Lydia Rogers, are for
real and about as pure as it gets. Recorded with polish
and pluck at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio, the 11 tracks
on their self-titled debut set sound like they could’ve
been captured at any of the family picnics or church
services where the Secret Sisters honed their harmonies singing Doc Watson, Everly Brothers and spirituals. The Rogers’ good taste and adroit touch are evident on buoyant takes of George Jones’ “Why Baby
Why” and Buck Owens’ “My Heart Skips a Beat,” a
gentler and slightly Latin-tinged look at Frank Sinatra’s
“Something Stupid” and a loping, attitude-fueled version of Hank Williams’ “Why Don’t You Love Me.”
Elsewhere, the easygoing songs “Tennessee Me” and
smoothly uptempo “Waste the Day” speak to Laura
Rogers’ songwriting vision for the duo.

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ARTIST: BELLE & SEBASTIAN
ALBUM: WRITE ABOUT LOVE
n its eighth fulllength
release,
Glasgow, Scotland,
indie pop group Belle &
Sebastian ditch their sadvibes-hidden-by-happymelodies shtick in favor of
legitimately upbeat songs.
“Write About Love,” Belle
& Sebastian’s follow-up to
2006’s “The Life Pursuit,”
finds the band taking a jaunty trip backward, unfortunately toward retro days long
before the act’s ‘90s heyday. Norah Jones helps create a
melancholy vibe on the song “Little Lou, Ugly Jack,
Prophet John,” but the results sound more fitting for her
album than Belle & Sebastian’s. British actress Carey
Mulligan duets with frontman Stuart Murdoch on the set’s
title track, which also could have worked well for
Murdoch’s side musical project, “God Help the Girl.”
Elsewhere, the band channels the Smiths on the track “I
Want the World to Stop,” reminding loyal Belle &
Sebastian fans of what they’re missing. Time seemingly
has turned the veteran act optimistic, even when writing
about the sometimes messy topic of love.

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Rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr leaves federal court
with his attorneys. — AP
By Errin Haines
federal judge revoked rapper
T.I.’s probation Friday and
ordered him back to prison for
11 months following his arrest last
month in California on suspicion of
drug possession. The Atlanta native,
whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr,
was on probation after serving 10
months behind bars on federal
weapons charges. “I think Mr Harris
had had about the limit of second
chances,” US District Court Judge
Charles Pannell Jr said in court,
according to a report by The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. During the
hearing, T.I. begged the judge not to
send him back to prison, saying he
needed to get help for drug addiction.
He told the judge he “screwed up”
and pleaded for mercy.
“I screwed up big time, and I’m
sorry. I’m truly and sincerely sorry. I

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hip-hop, with multiple platinum-selling albums and singles, production
credits and roles in films like “ATL”
and “American Gangster.” After the
hearing, US Attorney Sally Quillian
Yates said she was disappointed with
T.I. “We had hoped that this would be
a new, innovative opportunity,” she
told AP. “We’re not giving up on Mr.
Harris, but ... if you veer off the road
of redemption, there are consequences.” The rapper, wearing a gray
three-piece suit, walked out of court
with family and friends, leaving the
building through a back exit without
speaking to reporters.
He is expected to surrender voluntarily to authorities Nov 1. As a
condition of his release earlier this
year, he was ordered not to commit
another federal, state or local crime
while on supervised release, or to
illegally possess a controlled substance. He was also told to take at

least three drug tests after his
release and to participate in a drug
and alcohol treatment program.
Yates urged the judge to consider
a sentence of two years in prison.
She said T.I. submitted diluted urine
samples and told his probation officer
he had used ecstasy at least three
times since leaving prison. T.I’s attorneys argued that after reviewing
nearly 250 cases with similar
charges, none of those people were
put back behind bars for violating
probation, Crosby said. Additionally,
the attorneys told the judge that
Harris was addicted to drugs and has
attempted to turn his life around
since leaving prison. T.I.’s label,
Atlantic Records, put out a statement: “T.I. is such an important and
valued member of our Atlantic family.
We offer to him and his family our
continued love and support during
this very difficult time.” Earlier this

week, Atlanta police said T.I. helped
them talked a suicidal man down from
a skyscraper. The rapper heard about
the man on the radio and drove over
to see if he could help.
The man agreed to come down
from the 22-story building in
exchange for a few minutes with the
rapper, authorities said. They added
he recorded a cell phone video of
himself that was shown to the man by
rescue workers to prove he was really there. T.I.
rejected suggestions that his intervention was a
stunt to gain advance favor with the
court. Atlanta Police Department
spokesman Officer James Polite testified at Friday’s hearing about being
present when T.I. lent his assistance.
“We believed it was genuine,” Polite
said of Harris’ offer to help. “He gave
words of encouragement and was an
intricate part of having that situation
safely and quickly resolved.”— AP

Taylor Swift ready
to ʻSpeak Nowʼ
with third album
By Tom Roland
aylor Sw ift pulled a sweater
over her knees. She was
seated on a black leather
couch in the lobby of Big Machine
Records in Nashville, and the office
was a bit chilly for the short, frilly
skirt she wore. Despite the brisk
temperature, the room held distinctly warm memories for the 20-yearold singer. A handful of framed wall
hangings provided a mini-retrospec-

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ARTIST: FAITH EVANS
ALBUM: SOMETHING ABOUT FAITH
n the ‘90s, Faith
Evans was on the
verge of becoming
one of the dominating
R&B powerhouses of her
generation. But other
than a recent DUI arrest,
the Notorious B.I.G.’s
widow has been removed
from the public eye for
the past five years. Now,
Evans reintroduces herself with her sixth studio release, “Something About
Faith,” an album that focuses on love, lust and life. On the
title track the singer’s searching for, well, a little faith to
take things to the next stage with a suitor. The song
“Gone Already” finds her walking away from an
unhealthy relationship, while “Can’t Stay Away” (featuring Keyshia Cole) centers on not being able to leave an
addicting lover. But “Something About Faith” doesn’t
focus only on matters of the heart. Snoop Dogg joins
Evans on “Way You Move,” a playful song about the initial
attraction between two people on the dance floor, and the
Redman-assisted, club-ready track “Party” finds her hitting the after-work soiree.

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ARTIST: FAR*EAST MOVEMENT
ALBUM: FREE WIRED

Tylor Swift

f
Justin
Timberlake
recorded
a
“FutureSex/LoveSounds 2.0,” it could very well have
sounded like Los Angeles Asian-American group
Far*East Movement’s debut album, “Free Wired.” The set
explodes with strong hooks, synths and sparkles, thanks
to a hot roster of producers (Roger Sanchez, the
Smeezingtons) and several heavy-hitting collaborations
(Snoop Dogg, Keri Hilson). The quartet’s members are
rappers at their core, offering maximum swagger on the
Beastie Boys-referenced track “So What?” and on the spoken/rapped, staccato-friendly “Girls on the Dance Floor.”
Kev Nish’s lines on the Snoop-supported “If I Was You
(OMG)” sums up the album’s lyrics: “We sippin’ Goose,
girl/We gettin’ loose, girl/So won’t you sit up on my lap
with that caboose, girl.”—Reuters

tive of her career, including a multiplatinum award for her last album,
2008’s “Fearless.” The Big Machine
lobby was, in fact, a significant
reminder of just how far she’s traveled in her quick rise from unknown
teen to global star.
When she was still a 16-year-old
high school student, there was nothing on the walls in this room. Swift
remembered sitting on the floor in
the early summer of 2006, stuffing
promotional CDs of her first single,
“Tim McGraw,” into envelopes destined for radio stations around the

I

don’t want and I don’t need to use
drugs anymore. I want them out of
my life,” Harris told the judge, the
Journal-Constitution reported. The
Associated Press was relying on
information from the newspaper
because the judge closed the courtroom after it was filled and several
media outlets including AP were not
allowed inside.
Pannell wasn’t swayed by the rapper’s plea. The judge had said T.I.’s
sentence was an “experiment” he
hoped to replicate if it worked. The
rapper was allowed to stay out of
prison while performing 1,000 hours
of community service, mostly talking
with schoolchildren about the dangers of gangs, drugs and violence.
“You certainly dumped a lot of smut
on the whole experiment,” Pannell
told T.I.
The Grammy Award-winning
artist is one of the biggest names in

T.I. is shown in this artist rendering as he speaks in federal court.

country. “With every envelope that I
would seal I would look at the
address and the station on there and
think, ‘Please, please just listen to
this one time,”“ she recalled.
“I would say a little message to
each envelope: ‘Please, whoever
gets this, please listen to this.’
There’s no promise when you’re
putting out your first single that
people are even going to listen to
it.” Not only did the single get
heard, it opened the door to sales of
more than 4 million copies of her
self-titled debut album, awash in
songs about broken hearts and high
school social dramas. Her sophomore set, “Fearless,” did even better, selling 592,000 copies in its first
week, according to Nielsen
SoundScan, on its way to more than
6 million sales. Three of the songs
reached the top 10 on the Billboard
Hot 100 — a rare feat for a country
artist-as she commanded multiple
magazine covers and even a 2009
MTV Video Music Award nomination and win.
When that VMA acceptance
speech was infamously interrupted,
the fiery Kanye West controversy
supplanted the inspirational,
dreams-really-do-come-true storyline in her career narrative. Weeks
after the VMA shocker, the Country
Music Association presented Swift
four awards, including entertainer of
the year. In January, she won four
more times at the Grammy Awards,
with “Fearless” claiming the allgenre album-of-the-year trophy.
No time like ‘now ’
With every sector of the business jittery about the future of the
album, the music industry’s eyes
and ears will be focused quite closely on Swift when Big Machine
releases her third project, “Speak
Now,” on Oct 25. Being heard is no
longer an issue. Now the questions
concern being heard at the right
time and the volume with which the
public might react. An online leak
forced Big Machine to rush-release
the first single, “Mine,” in August.
It has since sold more than 1 million
downloads. The title track, a quirky
lyrical exercise that blends the
dashed-wedding scenarios of
“Runaway Bride” and “Friends in
Low Places,” debuted at No. 1 on
iTunes. It sold more than 85,600
downloads on its first day of release,
Oct 5. —Reuters

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Keith Richards reveals
all in rock’n’roll memoirs
he drugs and the music, working
with Mick Jagger and sleeping
with his girl, being jailed and
falling in love-Keith Richards’ memoirs,
revealed yesterday, are every bit as rock’n’roll as he was. Extracts of his autobiography “Life”, published in The Times
newspaper, give the ultimate inside story
of how the Rolling Stones raised hell as
they became one of the most revered
and influential bands of the 20th century.
The no-holds barred account of Richards’
life reveals a fraught relationship with
his songwriting partner, Jagger, who he
calls “Your Majesty” or “Brenda” and
who says became “unbearable” from
about the early 1980s.

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“I used to love Mick, but I haven’t
been to his dressing room in 20 years.
Sometimes I think, ‘I miss my friend’. I
wonder, ‘Where did he go?’,” recalls
Richards, now an unrepentant 67 years
old, in the book. He also reveals that
Jagger has a “tiny todger”, a detail apparently passed on to him by Jagger’s onetime girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.
Faithfull was involved in a series of complicated love trysts involving the Stones,
which began when Richards stole his
bandmate Brian Jones’ girlfriend, Anita
Pallenberg, on a drug-fuelled trip to
Spain.
Later, Richards became convinced
that Pallenburg was having an affair with

Alicia Keys gives
birth to baby boy
t’s a boy for Alicia Keys
and her husband, music
producer/rapper Swizz
Beatz. A representative for
Keys said she gave birth
Thursday night in New York.
The couple have named their
son Egypt Dean. It’s the first
child for the 29-year-old superstar and the fourth child for
Beatz, whose real name is
Kaseem Dean. The couple was
married July 31.
Swizz Beatz, 31, took time
to tweet on Friday: “I’m so
thankful for everything I been
blessed with in my life.”
Singer Mary J Blige also
tweeted her congratulations
on the birth. —AP

Jagger and so took it upon himself to bed
Faithfull-only to be caught in flagrante
and forced to escape through a window.
Jones died in a swimming pool in 1969,
but Richards and Pallenberg went on to
have three children together. In the
book, Richards recalls how they got
together: “I still remember the smell of
the orange trees in Valencia. When you
get laid with Anita Pallenberg for the
first time, you remember things.” —AFP

Michael Jackson’s
nephew on ‘Target’
with 1st album
By Gail Mitchell
ustin Brown is following in
some pretty big footsteps: The
young artist is the nephew of
Michael and Janet Jackson. Then
there’s his mom, Rebbie, the eldest
child of the Jackson family, who charted two top 10 R&B hits of her own in
the
‘80s,
“Centipede”
and
“Plaything.”
But Brown contends he’s unfazed
by the inevitable comparisons. “A lot
of people say I sound like the male
version of my mother,” he says during
an interview at Rodney Jerkins’
Darkchild studio in Los Angeles.
“That sound is part of who I am. You
know, I can’t help where I come from,
but I do love where I come from.”
Now the singer/songwriter/musician
is ready to see how much listeners
will love his self-described “energetic
groove and soul” sound. —Reuters

Jolie questions decision to deny her film permit
By Aida Cerkez
ngelina Jolie has questioned
Bosnia’s decision to withdraw
her film permit, saying it was
based on false rumors that her movie
will be a love story about a Bosniak
woman and a Serb man who raped
her during the country’s war. But the
actress, and two members of her film
crew in Sarajevo, declined to say
Friday what the plot of her directorial debut will be, and that could make
it difficult to allay the concerns of the
movie’s main opponents: Bosnia’s
wartime rape victims.
Jolie said in a written statement
Friday that it will be a shame if
“unfair pressure based on wrong
information” prevents her crew from
shooting her film in Bosnia.” It’s
working title is “Untitled Love
Story.” She offered to meet with
wartime rape victims in Bosnia and
to clarify misunderstandings that led
Sarajevo’s culture minister, Gavrilo
Grahovac, to deny the permit. “My

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ted the movie permit application to
Grahovac on Wednesday, along with
a full script, and expects the minister
to grant a new permit. Bakira
Hasecic, the leader of the
Association of Women, Victims of

hope is that people will hold judgment until they have seen the film,”
Jolie said.
The movie was supposed to be
shot partly in Bosnia in November,
but Grahovac revoked the permit
this week under pressure from the
Association of Women, Victims of
War, which represents the several
thousand mainly Muslim Bosniak
women who were raped during
Bosnia’s 1992-95 war. Grahovac was
not available for comment Friday.
Sarajevan Fedja Stukan, who plans to
act in the movie, defended Jolie’s
project, telling Bosnian media that
“we are not making a movie about a
crazy woman falling in love with her
rapist. We are not sick and perverted.” Jolie’s Sarajevo producer, Edin
Sarkic, told The Associated Press on
Friday that the rumor about the rape
victim falling in love with a rapist is
“insane.” But he also said his contract with Jolie prevents him from
disclosing details about the script.
Instead, Sarkic said, he resubmit-

US actress Angelina Jolie
walks with some crew
members during the
staring of the film called
‘Untitled Bosnian War
Love Story’ in
Budapest on October 14,
2010. —AFP

War, told the AP that she has not
read the script, but said: “From what
I heard, it is about a victim in a rape
camp falling in love with her rapist,
and that’s not only impossible but

Tale of the tape:

‘Weeds’ star Mary-Louise Parker in ‘RED’
By Roger Moore
here’s something just so right
about the sight of Mary-Louise
Parker, bound in duct tape, in the
early scenes of the all-star action comedy “RED.” “Aaahaaa,” she says, in
that comically querulous way of hers.
“Maybe you should tell ME why I look
so at home in duct tape?” It’s not hard
to make that leap. MLP is the reefergrowing mama on cable television’s
“Weeds,” a show with comically startling sex scenes, spankings, and what
have you. Picturing her in duct tape is
no great stretch. “Oh really?” She’s
being coy. She does that. “I didn’t know
I HAD an image.” Then Parker thinks
for a moment.
“I think I’m going to end up with a
little bit of duct tape this season on
‘Weeds,’ too. That kind of a year, my
theme. Maybe I could endorse a line of
duct tape. You can actually buy bondage
tape. It’s not that hard to find. Probably
easier on your skin than general duct
tape, though I’m not sure I want people
to know if I know that or not.” A pause,
then a random Addams Family childhood revelation. “I was a really dark
child. Very Wednesday Addams.” Then

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(From left) Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Helen
Mirren star in the all-star action comedy, ‘Red.’ —MCT
more on duct tape: “That stuff is kind
of hard on your skin. After the 50th
time it’s been ripped off your face, I
could see the makeup artist cringe
after every take. ... I wanted them to
use the real thing, because real duct
tape kind of reads differently on film. I
had a horrible rash the next day. But it
was worth it.

Neil Patrick Harris
welcomes twins
eil Patrick Harris is
officially a first-time
father. The “How I
Met Your Mother” television
star announced via Twitter
Friday that he and partner
David Burtka’s surrogate
twins arrived October 12th.
“Babies!!” Harris tweeted.
“On 10/12, Gideon Scott and
Harper Grace entered the
Burtka-Harris fold. All of us
are happy, healthy, tired, and
a little pukey.”
This is the second time
Harris turned to Twitter for
a baby announcement. In
August, he first tweeted that

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he and Burtka would be
expecting twins in the fall.
“We’re super excited/nervous/thrilled,” he tweeted
back then. This is a year of
firsts for the actor on the
professional front as well. In
August, Harris won his first
ever Emmy awards for
guest-starring on “Glee” and
hosting “The 63rd Annual
Tony Awards.”
Earlier this week, it was
announced the actor would
make his feature directorial
debut on the romantic comedy, “Aaron and Sarah.”
— Reuters

“The director let me improvise
stuff and wanted to hear what I had to
say. I always like that. He probably was
happy when I had tape over my mouth
and couldn’t make more suggestions.”
Parker, at 46, is at the top of her game,
her screen sex appeal dialed up to a
Showtime-induced peak. She has come
a long way since her film career began

with a string of earnest, sometimes
earthy and sweet roles-think “Fried
Green Tomatoes” and “Grand
Canyon.”
As an interview, she’s long been a
puzzling, stream-of-conscious delight.
It’s a key to her appeal-the wide, innocent eyes, the occasional sneaky bad
girl grin, the sexy non sequiturs. It’s
why she’s perfectly cast as Sarah, who
handles pension problems for a
“retired extremely dangerous”
(“RED”) agent played by Bruce Willis
in the new film, which opens Friday.
Sarah is a great phone flirt, but is
appalled when he kidnaps her “for your
own safety.” Then, a classic MLP
transformation. “Her character
embraces the danger with a flirtatious
relish,” John DeFore wrote in The
Hollywood Reporter. And in doing that,
“Parker gives the movie more than she
gets.”
“She’s kind of a hopeless romantic,” Parker says of Sarah. “She’s so
positive, unabashedly enthusiastic.
Naive? Dorky? She kind of wears her
heart on her sleeve, which is sweet.
But like me? I hope I’m not like that
anymore. I don’t really want to play
anything like me, the REAL me, any-

way.” “When acting with her, you never know what’s going to come at you,”
says college classmate and fellow actor
Tim Guinee, who just directed Parker
in a music video. “It’s like playing jazz
or boxing. And it’s all disarmingly real
without the smell of acting around it.”
The “real” Parker is a single mother of two who “took my daughter for a
manicure yesterday and built some volcanoes with my son. I got a Popsicle
and walked around the block.”
No duct tape. No electric, comically over-the-top moments showing off
her taste in underwear, her delighted
surprise at an assignation in a limo.
The roles may be as sexy these days
as they were Southern af ter her
breakout turn in “Fried Green
Tomatoes” back in 1991. “But I’m not
Southern, either,” she cracks. No matter what image her career gives her,
“mommy” is Parker’s normal. Not
that her choice of roles doesn’t lead to
a little confusion when she’s off the
set. “‘Weeds’ fans, a certain type of
‘Weeds’ fan, assumes a sort of commonality,” she says, laughing. “They
smile and think they know. I smile and
laugh it off. “I enjoy being hard to
place, you know?” —MCT

Bollywood actress
Mallika Sherawat
poses with a toy
snake during a
press
conference in
Hyderabad
yesterday.
Sherawat’s new
film Hisss is
scheduled for global release on
October 22. —AFP

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Refurbished Oscar
statues that will be
used for the
Governor’s Awards
and the 83rd
Academy Awards
are seen in
Los Angeles,
Friday. —AP

In this June 7, 2009 file photo, actor Neil
Patrick Harris and David Burtka arrive at the
63rd Annual Tony Awards in New York. —AP

Simon
MacCorkindale
dies at 58

This file photo of May 24, 2010 shows actor Simon
MacCorkindale with his wife Susan George in
London. — AP
By Mimi Turner
alcon Crest” actor
and longtime British
star
Simon
MacCorkindale has died at the
age of 58 after a long struggle
with cancer, his agent Max
Clifford
said
Friday.
MacCorkindale, who played
British lawyer Greg Reardon in
the ‘80s soap-which also starred
Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas
and Mel Ferrer-appeared in
“Death on the Nile” and spent
six years on the British medical
drama “Casualty.”

“F

Oscar award show unlikely to
be moved up much in 2012
scar organizers said they are
unlikely to “significantly” advance
the telecast for the world’s top
film honors in 2012, though an earlier
date could still be possible after that. The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences said in June it was considering
advancing the Oscar telecast, a move that
could speed Hollywood’s awards season
and create challenges for other programs
and film studios. “The Academy’s Board

the idea is insulting.” She said, “We,
the victims, do not want to be portrayed that way and we complained.”
In the immediate aftermath of the
war, the issue of mass rape of women
during the conflict was a taboo topic
in Bosnia. But the victims then came
forward and formed the association
that fights for their rights in the
courts and defends their dignity in
public.
The lobby has grown so strong
that rarely any official in Bosnia
dares to confront it. In her statement, Jolie said: “The choice to
make a film about this area and set
in this time in history was also to
remind people of what happened
not so long ago and to give attention to the survivors of the war.”
The actress said she has great
respect for the work of the
Association of Women, Victims of
War and would “like the opportunity to speak with them to personally
clear up any misunderstandings
about this project.” —AP

of Directors has determined that the date
of the 84th Academy Awards in 2012 is
unlikely to be significantly earlier than the
traditional last Sunday in February,” the
Academy said in a statement. “A different
date still remains a possibility in subsequent years, and the Academy’s staff and
Board will continue to evaluate the advantages and challenges associated with such
a date.”
Typically in recent years, the Academy

has held the Oscars on the final Sunday in
February, although some years it has
lapsed into March. The 2011 Oscars are
set for Feb 27. The Academy Awards
show is annually the second mostwatched show on US television and seen
by tens of millions around the world. But
viewership has eroded in recent years as
other industry groups, such as the Screen
Actors Guild, began televising their own
ceremonies. —Reuters

The actor died Thursday
night surrounded by his family in
a private Harley Street clinic. He
had been diagnosed with bowel
cancer four years ago, and it
spread to his liver.
His wife, the actress Susan
George, said he had fought
valiantly against the ravages of
the disease. “He fought it with
such strength, courage and
belief. Last night, he lost this
battle, and he died peacefully
in my arms ... to me, he was
simply the best of everything,
and I loved him with all my
heart.” — Reuters

Hobbit movies get green
light, location still in question
he long-awaited movies
based on JRR Tolkien’s
“The Hobbit” were given
the green light Saturday but no
location was named amid an ongoing union threat to boycott the
production in New Zealand. The
announcement by New Line
Cinema and its parent company
Warner Brothers confirmed Peter
Jackson, who masterminded the
multi-award-winning “Lord of the
Rings” trilogy, as the director and
said filming will begin next
February. A spokesman for New
Line Cinema said no decision has
been made yet on the location for
the 500 million US dollar prequels
to the “Lord of the Rings” but
Warner Brothers president Alan
Horn was emphatic Jackson would
be at the helm.
Confirmation the two movies
would go ahead came two days
after New Zealand unions and
filmmakers held “productive”
talks on the row threatening “The
Hobbit” but would not say if a boy-

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cott of the films had been lifted.
International actors’ unions
slapped the ban on the production
after Jackson refused to negotiate
with NZ Actors Equity over minimum standards on the set,
prompting the director to threaten
to move the shoot from New
Zealand. The country’s stunning
natural scenery was a key element
in the look of the spectacular
Lord of the Rings films.
“There is no human being on
the planet as qualified as Peter
Jackson to direct these films,”
Horn said in a statement. “Peter is
incredibly talented and has the
creative vision and experience to
bring this beloved property to life
in a way that no other filmmaker
could.” The statement said
Jackson “will utilise groundbreaking visual effects” for the
“Hobbit” movies which will be
filmed in 3-D. Jackson said that
exploring Tolkien’s Middle-earth
would go “way beyond a normal
film-making experience. —AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Russia

Fashion Week

Russian designer Slava Zaitsev, left, seen
during the Fashion Week in Moscow. —AFP

Fake them out
with fabulous faux
By Ellen Warren
e a phony. A total
faker. And you’ll be
the smartest shopper in the room. Until
recently, faux fur was fineif you wanted to look as if
you were wearing a
Muppet around your neck.
And just a couple of years
ago, you could spot someone in a pleather coat
(that’s plastic “leather”)
from a block away. She was
the one who couldn’t bend
her arms. Today, I’m double-daring you to tell the
difference between the real

B

priced
at
$1,095.
McCartney’s Web site
( s t e l l a m c c a r t n e y. c o m )
boasts “no animal has died
to make anything in here.”
That said, she charges real
money for her pretenders.
And a word of caution.
You still can find plenty of
the old, ugly stuff in stores.
There’s fur that wouldn’t
fool a 5-year-old. It gives
acrylic a bad name. And
beware of imitation leather
that would work better as
picnic placemats.
Nope, not all faux fashions are equal. When making your choices, be sure

Thai
Fashion

Fake them
out with
fabulous faux.
Here, only the
price tag on
this coat will
tell that it’s
not real
leather.
Models present some
Spring/Summer 2011 creations
by Portuguese fashion designer
Luis Buchinho during the
Portugal Fashion show in Porto,
on October 15, 2010. —AFP

thing and the pretend.
Even after you put it on
and pet it. I’m serious.
The old pleather polywhatever was made for car
upholstery, not the human
form. No mas. The new
imitation leathers are supple, serviceable, some
even scrumptious. And the
latest editions of furry faux
can even make the animalrights folks wonder if it’s
mink or make-believe.
The technology that has
turned fake into fabulous
comes at just the right
moment for recession-battered shoppers who love
luxe but can’t afford it. The
prices of the impostors can
be astoundingly low. Only
the price tag will tell you
you’re not buying the real
thing.
That said, not all fake is
frugal. Designer Stella
McCartney’s shiny tote
illustrates that point. It’s

to take a good look in the
mirror before heading for
the checkout. Even the
same store can carry some
items that brilliantly fool
the eye and, on the next
rack, an array that screams
“cheap.”
With that proviso, discriminating shoppers will
find coats, jackets, bags,
shoes, boots and belts that
are easy on the budget and
genuinely look like real
hair and hide. Nowadays,
wearing faux doesn’t have
to be a fashion faux pas.
Faking it
Textured faux leather
looks more legit than
smooth.
Cheaplooking hardware
on coats and bags gives
away your secret Choose
brown, tans for real fur
look Mixed colors in fursnot all one solid shade-are
more natural One fake fur
per outfit, please. — MCT

Models display
creations by Vatit
Itthias part of the
Bangkok
International Fashion
Week 2010 in
Bangkok, Thailand,
yesterday. —AP